Maria yelped as her thigh was struck. She winced, and stumbled away, firmly pressing her hand against it.
“Come on, Maria, keep it up, you’re doing fine,” Eardwulf stood behind her, occasionally pacing circles around the girl as she sparred with another guild member, Yarina. She was a silver-tier guild member who volunteered to help Eardwulf with some of the combat training. She wore steel plate mail, with a shimmering chest piece. A fur-collared cloak pinned together by a silver emblem adorned her shoulders. Her fiery red hair had been braided into twin plaits, and her face was dotted with freckles. She twirled a dull, wooden battle axe around as she waited for Maria to regain her footing. “You’re doing fine, lass,” she said. Her voice was deeper than Maria expected, though she wasn’t exactly expecting the voice of a diva to come out of a muscular body like Yarina’s.
Maria winced. “It doesn’t feel like I’m doing fine.” She sported bruises and contusions beneath her robes, making every move an absolute pain. She wore a flowing robe with improbably wide sleeves, along with a white tunic and tight-fitting leather trousers. Not great, but it helped her blend in more than her usual clothes. Unfortunately, they didn’t cool her much from the beating sun. The air was humid and filled with the distant sound of humming cicadas. The wooden walls of the training ground stood tall, their surface marked by the scars of countless stray arrows. It wasn’t even midday, but Maria was already sweating. In the few moments Maria had to rest, she spent them at the only place with shade: a large tree at the center of the grounds. But rest was few and far between.
“Have confidence,” Eardwulf said. “Keep your eyes on it. Anticipate her attack.”
Yarina moved forward as Maria raised her wooden sword. It struck. Maria dodged, striking her sword against the woman's side. A successful hit.
“About damn time,” Yarina chuckled.
“Excellent,” Eardwulf said. “Again now. Remember to watch your footwork.”
Yarina charged again. Maria tried to dodge, but Yarina swung, striking her ribcage with her wooden ax. For a week now, Maria had been testing out wooden variants of halberds, spears, swords, axes, hammers, and daggers. Sometimes, she would be given a shield. It was cumbersome, though. Focusing on weapons felt better. From dusk to noon, it was nothing but combat training. With time, she settled into using the swords and daggers quite well. The spears were nearly useless once the opponent got in too close, while cool, had too much recovery time after each swing, and lacked dexterity. She had romanticized sword fighting from media and assumed it was simple enough. It was far more complicated than she had anticipated. With the help of Eardwulf, though, she was getting the hang of some fighting techniques. Slash. Dodge. Thrust. Lunge. Parry. Sweep. Block. Riposte. Repeat.
Maria yelped as her thigh was struck. She groaned, and stepped away, pressing her hand against her wound.
“You almost had it,” Yarina said.
Maira didn’t respond. She was panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly. The sun had been beating down on her all day now, and she was so slick with sweat she was glossy. Eardwulf couldn’t attend training today, as per request from Head Guildmaster Odalf, so Yarina was put in charge for the day.
After hours of sparring, they’d both worked up a sweat.
Yarina rested her wooden sparring ax over her shoulder. “You doing okay?”
Maria pulled at her collar. “Yeah. It’s just really hot.”
“Agreed. I’m going to fight in something cooler.” Yarina unpinned her fur-collared cloak and tossed it aside. “If you’re too hot, just take off your cloak. It’s not doing much to help you anyways.”
Maria shrugged and nodded. She dropped her wooden sparing sword and peeled off her cloak. Already the cool air against her sweaty arms felt refreshing. When she looked back at Yarina though, she paused. Yarina stripped off her steel plate mail and lifted her tunic over her head. Maria’s eyes went wide as she stared brazenly at the woman's chest. Her breasts were held firm in tightly wrapped bandages. Maria’s face grew bright red.
“Feels much better in the wind. Come on, try it.”
Maria’s eyes traveled down to her abs and well-toned muscles. Seeing Yarina’s naked body only made her hotter.
Maria glanced around the training yard. “Aren’t you nervous?”
“About what? People seeing my tits?”
Maria tucked in her lips and nodded. “It’s not something that normally happens where I’m from.”
Yarina smirked. ”I like it when people stare.” She moved closer to Maria. “Cool off with me.”
Maria gulped. “You mean take off my tunic? A real tempting offer, but I’m good.”
“I’m not asking you to take off your bra or anything. Just the tunic. The cool airs refreshing.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Have you never spared in the nude before?”
“Why would I have?”
“It’s how I trained. Barbarians are proud of their bodies. Every part of it. When nothing is constraining you, you’re one hundred times stronger.”
Maria tilted her head at the somewhat flawed logic but shrugged. She didn’t want to pass up on this opportunity to see another woman nude. Yarina bent over, peeling her woolen trousers off. Maria blushed even brighter. The barbarian woman stood there in nothing but her underwear, yet she moved calmly and shamelessly in a way Maria never could.
“Something wrong?” Yarina asked, putting her hand on her hip.
Maria stared. “Uh… nope. Not at all.”
Yarina picked up her wooden battleaxe and got back into her fighting stance, but it was hard for Maria to keep her eyes off her other weapon. She picked her wooden sword back up and got into a similar stance.
“Let’s not get distracted now.” Yarina came swinging, and Maria stared at her large breasts. She took the smack to the side and winced. “Don’t let anything distract you now,” Yarina said with a grin.
Maria rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. As Yarina came swinging again, she parried her attack. They exchanged blows, striking each other's weapon before Maria managed to smack her sword against Yarina’s hip. She didn’t react though.
“Good work. Again.”
Smack.
“Again.”
Smack.
“And again.”
Maria was out of breath again, sweating. Even though she started to get a few hits on Yarina, it didn’t feel like she was doing good enough.
“You’re doing fine,” Yarina said. “But what would you do if an enemy does this to you?” She swung her ax, and Maria raised her sword to parry. However, Yarina smacked it with such force she knocked Maria off balance. Yarina slid behind Maria and put her into a lock hold. Maria blushed as she felt Yarina's breasts press into her back. She tried to struggle against the sweaty woman, but her grip was firm. There was no breaking free. “What are you going to do in this situation?” Yarina repeated.
Maria, blushing furiously, tried to break free. Maria had a sudden idea. Rather than retreat, she instead moved back, pressing her ass against Yarina’s crotch.
“Oh, are you trying to do something, lass?” Yarina moaned softly.
Maria grinned and wiggled her butt a little. Yarina only chuckled as she pulled back on Maria’s arms.
“You’re not breaking free that easily.”
Maria pressed her ass against Yarina, making the amazon moan. Maria's arms felt easier to move. Her plan was working! She felt great! But her breasts were feeling a little too great. Yarina's grasp had made its way from Maria's arms to her breasts, and now she was fondling them. Now was the time to escape, but between the feel of breasts against her back and having her nipples pinched, she'd gotten distracted. A few more seconds wouldn't hurt... Once she finally had her fill, she broke free.
Yarina chuckled. "Clever girl..."
Maria smiled as she panted.
“Don’t get distracted now.” Yarina took up her ax, and swung again, hitting Maria in her stomach. She winced and stumbled back, before raising her sword.
A voice came from behind. “This is quite the show going on here.” Irra was standing beneath the singular tree of the training yard.
“What are you doing here?” Maria asked. She held her stomach.
“Looking for Yarina,” she said, walking over.
“Something you need?” Yarina asked, shamelessly approaching.
Maria looked back at her, then at Irra.
“Yes. Head Guildmaster Odalf needs to see you.”
“Ah, he can wait a bit, I’m helping train Maria.”
“Oh… is that what’s going on here?” Irra eyed Yarina over. “You aren’t trying to get Maria to join you?”
“Of course I am,” Yarina said. “Don’t pretend like you haven’t done it either.”
Irra pursed her lips. “Even if I have, I never did it out in the open.”
“Is it really that common?” Maria muttered.
“No one’s around, why not,” Yarina said. “The air feels cool. Besides, it’s good to learn how to fight without any distractions. Maria’s actually doing fairly decent.”
“Is she?”
“Care to join and see for yourself?”
“Join in what, exactly?” Irra crossed her arms, looking Yarina over. “I don’t have another four hours to train with you.” She looked at Maria. “Careful not to fall for that trap.”
Yarina grunted. “Fine. How about a couple of rounds between you two.”
“That I can do. Let me go grab a sparing sword.” Irra walked off.
Maria’s eyes went wide again. “Wait, you want me to fight her?”
“Consider her a test,” Yarina said.
“Are you sure I can handle her?”
“I think you’ll be fine.”
Irra returned with one of the wooden training swords. She stood across from Maria and got into her fighting stance. Maria gulped and readied herself. She swung at Irra, only to be parried, and smacked in the hip.
“Ow!” she winced.
Irra stepped back and raised her sword again. “Come on, show me what you’ve been learning.”
Maria swung at her this time, but Irra skillfully knocked the sword away and charged Maria. She pushed her, getting a handful of her breasts while she was at it. While Maria stumbled back, Irra swung and jabbed her gut. Maria fell, groaning.
“Is that all you have?”
“No,” Maria moaned. She wobbled back to her feet holding her stomach, and pushed through the pain. She readied herself. As Irra came swinging again, Maria blocked her attacks. They traded blows before Irra smacked Maria’s sword to the side, and dashed forward. She ducked under Maria’s follow-up swing and smacked her ass with the flat end of her sword. Maria yelped, and jumped, grabbing her behind as the sting radiated through her torso.
Irra laughed. “You’re not bad. Just not good enough. You’ll do well with some more practice.” She lunged for Maria before she had time to recover, and struck the wooden sword from her hand.
Maria stepped back, putting distance between her and another painful spank.
“Your weapon’s been taken from you. What do you do now?” she asked tauntingly.
Maria sighed and darted for Irra. She attempted to tackle and hit her, but she deftly stepped aside, grabbing Maria’s arm as she passed. She swung her around, but Maria held strong onto her forearm and pulled Irra down with her as she tripped and collapsed onto the soft grass. Irra got a handful of Maria’s breasts as she wrestled her. Maria tried to roll over, grabbing the sides of Irra’s stomach while she pushed Maria off by her breasts. Just as Maria almost succeeded, Irra pinched Maria’s nipples and forced her to squeal. She felt weakenss as a jolt of pleasure shot up her torso. Irra rolled on top of her, and kept her pinned to the ground, squeezing her breasts.
Irra stared down at Maria, panting. Her gaze locked with hers. She leaned in. “Nice try. But you’re still no match for me.”
Maria’s chest rose and fell into Irra’s hands. She nodded but didn’t attempt to push her off. “No?” She leaned up and quickly pecked Irra’s lips.
Irra froze up, her face turning bright red. Maria quickly delivered a blow to her side and knocked her off. She climbed on top of her and pinned her arms down.
“How about now?” Maria grinned.
Irra came down from her daze, and scoffed, glancing away. Her blush didn’t fade though. “You used a cheap trick.”
Yarina stood over the two with her arms crossed, pushing up her breasts. She chuckled. “Alright, that’s enough from you two. I think we can call it a day. For me at least. I think Torrin is stopping by later to help you with endurance training.”
Irra climbed off, and Maria felt a cold absence where Irra’s hands once were.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Maria was panting. She sat up slowly and got to her feet. As she rubbed the sore spot on her ass, she nodded. “He is, yeah.”
Irra hurried off. “Yarina, just go see the Head Guildmaster.”
“Where are you going?”
“None of your business.”
Maria watched her storm off. “What was that about?”
Yarina only chuckled. “Don’t know the last time she’s been beaten in a fight like that. Good work.”
Maria shrugged.
***
When Maria wasn’t training with weapons, she was training her body.
The training yard had a series of obstacles designed to test Maria’s stamina, speed, balance, and strength. Eardwulf had her run through those several times a day, however, being much older, he again offered the assistance of a volunteer. A stocky dwarf named Torrin, a bronze-tier craftsman. He had a square-shaped body covered by a thick quilted jerkin and chainmail. His beard was immaculately braided, and his scruffy hair was topped off by a hat adorned with a squirrel’s tail.
Maria was stunned by how athletic the dwarf was. Despite his short stature and heavy armor, he was able to outpace her in every exercise. Push-ups, squats, jogging around the entire yard. Her muscles protested, and by the end of each day she would collapse, sweating so much she looked like she had just crawled out of a lake.
“You’re doing fine,” Torrin would say. “Keep it up.”
Maria was surprised that among the stats that she had, none marked her stamina, strength, or luck. In almost every RPG, she expected them to be there in some shape or form. The stats remained simple: displaying her health, remaining points for spellcasting, weapon damage, and how much defense she had. The minimap was the display she valued most. Though lacking detail, it gave Maria a birds-eye view of her surrounding area. It was tucked neatly in the bottom-right corner of her vision, and she discovered she could enlarge it whenever she needed to see what routes were ahead. Any location she had visited was marked as a point of interest and named accordingly. Maria had spent an entire night trying to find a way to fast travel, but that didn’t appear to be something she could do— much to her disappointment.
On the days Yarina wasn’t available, Maria was left to spar with a sentient training dummy. It looked no different than a wooden mannequin. Each of its limbs was disconnected, held in place only by a faint aura of purple luminous platting that acted almost like magnets. With each limb floating independently of one another, it gave the dummy more flexibility. It was able to dance around Maria and even toyed with her— much to her annoyance.
Maria fell as the wooden dummy hit her again. She winced and held her stomach as she wobbled to her feet. It had been repeating the same attacks, but dodge timing still eluded her.
“Try again,” Eardwulf said.
Maria returned to a fighting stance. The training dummy lunged. She sidestepped the first attack. The dummy rotated and struck her hip. She groaned. Normal opponents couldn’t rotate three-hundred and sixty degrees at the waist.
“Again.”
She was improving. On her first day of training, every muscle in her body ached by the end. She had no idea the human body had so many muscles to tire. In the weeks passed, she had grown better. More agile. Able to complete the obstacle course faster. Leaping over the hurdles, ascending the walls, and balancing over the pit of mud she had fallen into way too many times.
“While your muscles grow from weight training, and your endurance grows from running, it is merely to keep you going. True strength is defined by the equipment you possess.” Eardwulf stood with her at the center of the training yard, resting in the shade of the tree.
“And here I thought true strength came from the heart.” Maria chuckled.
Eardwulf laughed with her. “The heart will not protect you from ghosts and goblins.”
“Without armor, you're dead in one hit.”
“Precisely. Your equipment will alter your stats, from your health and mana to your attack and defense. Not all equipment is created equal, and not all equipment is beneficial. Look at my stats and see.”
Maria paused. “How?”
“In the party menu.”
“Right. Still getting used to this whole system thing.”
“You shall catch on soon enough.”
Maria opened her party menu and selected Eardwulf’s name. Another gray textbox overlapped her menu, displaying his stats and equipment.
Name: Eardwulf
Lvl: 280
HP: 19,505
MP: 38,293
Total Defense: 392
Total Attack: 225
Enchanted Lightning Chestpiece
Defense: 100
Physical Attack Boost: +50%
Physical Health Boost: +20%
Mana Boost: +90%
Enchantment: Lightning spell damage increased by 200%
Guildmaster Constellation Robe
Defense: 130
Physical Health Boost: -90%
Mana Boost: +200%
Enchantment: Mana Regeneration
Guildmaster Leggins
Defense: 90
Physical Health Boost: +15%
Mana Boost: +90%
Enchantment: Light spell damage increased by 40%
Guildmaster Leather Boots
Defense: 70
Physical Health Boost: +12%
Mana Boost: +90%
Enchantment: Fire spell damage increased by 70%
Maria’s eyes popped, and her jaw dropped. She shut the menu and opened her skill menu.
Name: Maria Marigold
Lvl: 1
Hp: 100
MP: 20
Total Defense: 4
Total Attack: 3
Guild Apprentice Robe
Defense: 1
Guild Apprentice Tunic
Defense: 1
Guild Apprentice Leather Trousers
Defense: 1
Guild Apprentice Boots
Defense: 1
“So you can really kick my ass, huh.”
Eardwulf chuckled. “I don’t suppose you wish to partake in a duel?”
Maria wheezed, doubling over as she shook her head. “No thanks! I choose life!”
Eardwulf smiled. “Do you see how the equipment affects my stats? I am old but not weak.”
“Never had a fear of old people before, but now I do. Thanks for that,” she kept chuckling.
“Are you calling me old?” Eardwulf stared firmly at her.
Maria’s laughter stopped. “Er… I mean…”
The wizard cackled. “I jest. I know I’m old.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “You called yourself old, so I assumed it was okay.”
“I don’t mind. Anyways, your stats. Each time you level up, your base HP and MP will increase by fifty, and twenty points respectively. Those stats are what your equipment is altering.”
“I sorta figured that part out. Wasn’t sure if it was always those same numbers.”
“It will be. Remember, it’s all about your equipment.”
“Right, right.”
“And each time you level up, you’ll receive a skill point to allocate towards spells or skills. You’ve chosen the path of a mage, correct?”
“Indeed I have!”
“Then it would be wise to prioritize putting your points into spells. You are level one, so you have one skill point. Go on ahead and pick your first spell, and we’ll practice with it.”
Maria nodded and opened her Skills/Spells window. Before her was a long list of options. A long column of weapons— from swords to axes— was displayed. They started from a single point but would branch out much more with each investment. Spells had another list to choose from: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light, and Dark.
“I will warn you,” Eardwulf said. “Though you have access to dark spells, I highly advise against investing points into it.”
“I take it, nothing good will come from it?”
Eardwulf shook his head.
Maria gulped and nodded. She glanced towards her wrist. The mark had been wrapped in bandages to keep it concealed. Best she could do for now. A thought nudged at the back of her mind. She was the demon king's daughter. What would happen if she unlocked any dark spells? Probably wasn’t a good idea to find out. Regardless, the temptation was there, gnawing at her brain.
After deliberation, Maria finally settled on her first spell.
Spell Unlocked!
Flames - Fire shoots from the caster's hand.
Lvl: 1
Cost: Drains mana gradually in prolonged use.
Base damage: 5
15% chance to give burn status effect.
Upon unlocking the spell, it was nestled into Maria’s uppermost equipment slot.
“If you so wish,” said Eardwulf, “you can invest multiple points into the same thing to increase its effectiveness. Now, approach the dummy and cast the spell.”
Maria stood once more before the wooden foe. The pair made sure to be a safe distance from the tree before starting, though. She aimed her palm toward the target and waited. And waited. And waited. “How do I cast it?”
“Simply think of casting it. As you unlock more spells, you can cycle between them with just a mere thought.”
Maria nodded and raised her palm again. With a single thought, fire burst from her hand. The flames leaped towards the dummy, engulfing it in a torrent of bright heat. Maria’s eyes went wide as sweat poured from her forehead. The flames kept shooting like her arm was a hose. The dummy made melodramatic dying poses even though the aura kept it from burning. Finally, the flame relinquished, and she was left standing there with a wide smile on her face.
“See, it’s simple,” Eardwulf said.
“Woah…” Maria chuckled. She inspected her palm. There were no burn marks or anything. Except for some sweat, it was perfectly fine.
“Be careful to not accidentally cast a spell. I’ve seen it before.”
“I promise to be careful.”
“I take it mana is empty?”
Maria checked her MP bar. Fully depleted. “Oh, yeah, it’s gone.”
“Sleep will refill it, but you can’t nap in the heat of battle.” Eardwulf offered a blue potion to Maria. “Drink this.”
She took the flask and gulped it down. Much like the healing potion, it was sweet tasting, though far more chilling, like a cold winter morning. Her MP filled.
“Stock up on potions. Better to have too many than none when needed.”
“Noted.”
“The more mana you have, the higher level spells you can cast. If you would step back for just a moment, I shall demonstrate.”
Maria raised an eyebrow as she stepped behind Eardwulf. The wizard took her place before the training dummy. Eardwulf took a wide stance and thrust his arm forward. The air grew hot. So hot she could see it. Red particles swirled around her before converging in front of Eardwulf. They grew into a large ball of fire that— once big enough— erupted like a volcano. A continuous beam of explosive flames crackled and popped as black smoke bellowed high into the air. Maria stumbled away as some of the fire leaped out of the stream, striking the ground and causing pillars of magma to burst upwards.
When it finished, Eardwulf turned back to face Maria. “One day, with enough work, you can cast something like that.”
Maria had her hand on her chest, panting while covered in sweat. She wheezed and slowly rose to her feet. “Jesus Christ.”
Eardwulf titled his head. “Who’s that?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve said it before. I’ve never heard of that person.”
“Oh, it’s just a saying from home. Kinda like ‘By the Gods’.”
“Mmm, I see. You’ll have to tell me more about your culture sometime. I would love to hear it.”
“Ehh, it’s nowhere near as exciting as what’s happening here, but alright.”
As the days went on, she fell into a routine. Wake up early, breakfast, train, train, train, lunch, train some more, dinner, sleep, repeat. With practice, dodge timing became increasingly evident. Standing before the training dummy, she poised herself for the next move. The dummy charged, swinging its wooden sword. She rolled sideways. It rotated. She didn’t fall for the same trick and thrust her sword into the dummy. The wooden thump never sounded so satisfying.
Eardwulf smiled and nodded his approval.
As she grew more agile, Maria developed a fondness for knives. They made it easy to maneuver around the training dummy and deliver several swift strikes.
Eventually, she was allowed to go on her first quest with Eardwulf. Nothing special. Just a short excursion out to the crop fields to clear out slimes.
Name: Maria Marigold
Lvl: 1 >> 2
Hp: 100 >> 150
MP: 20 >> 30
Total Defense: 4
Total Attack: 3
Flames - Fire shoots from the caster's hand.
Lvl: 1 >> 2
Cost: Drains mana gradually in prolonged use.
Base damage: 5 >> 6
15% chance to give burn status effect.
Eardwulf pat Maria on the back. “You’re doing well.”
She had finished off the last of the slimes and sat upon the grassy hill overlooking the picturesque farmland. The walls of Oxfell came into view on the horizon, and as the sun began to set, its radiant orange glow bathed the sky in a warm, golden light.
She yawned. “You think?”
“Indeed. You’re improving far faster than any other novice I’ve seen.” Eardwulf smiled. “You’re nimble and fluid with your movements. A natural, I’d say.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Maria chuckled.
“No need to be humble. In just these short two months you’ve demonstrated you are quite capable of handling yourself. I’ve trained many adventurers, and you’ve shown the greatest promise.” Eardwulf fell silent. “You remind me of one student I had many years ago. The lad was strong and determined, just like you. Around the same age too. He was one of my best students. Sadly, he’s not with us anymore.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. The best students aren't always the best people. Now, let us return to the guild hall. I think that’s enough work for one day.”
***
Maria groaned as she sat in the guild hall, her head flat against the table. Her body ached, leg muscles throbbed, and she barely had the energy to stand. By this point, she should be used to the physical demands of training, but exercise wasn’t a habit before coming to this world. It was a harsh awakening for just how out of shape she was.
“There you are.” Silori slid a warm pottage from across the table.
“Thanks.” Maria lifted her head. She was grateful that Eardwulf was at least providing her with meals after each training session. Money wasn’t easy to come by, at least not with how she was currently living. Trainees received only board. The room was for full-fledged guild members. She had come to an agreement with a kind farmer and his wife on the outskirts of Oxfell. So long as she helped around the stable, they would permit her to spend nights in the barn. Not the best sleeping conditions, but better than outdoors. That left her with little to nothing in terms of money, as that wasn’t in the agreement, but on occasion, she had offered to do a little more for a piece of gold here and there. It only made her long to start adventuring as soon as possible.
“Feeling alright, dear?” Silori sat across from Maria. She crossed her arms, and leaned on the table, hoisting her breasts to show off her considerable cleavage. The same trick she used on everyone who walked through the doors. Great for getting more attention on her, and subsequently, tips. That and her honey-laced voice garnered Silori plenty of favor. Maria was positive because it worked on her.
“I’m doing fine… I’m just tired.” Maria dug into her supper.
“Eardwulf is overworking you?”
“No, I’m just out of shape. He says I’m doing good, but it doesn't feel like it.”
“If he says you’re doing good, you are. Believe me. He can be a tad demanding at times, but he’s not a mule.”
“If you say so… anyway, I just want to relax now. Wish I could use the downstairs baths.”
“You don’t need that.” Silori rose and stood behind Maria. “I’m quite skilled with my hands.” She began rubbing Maria’s shoulders. “Let me help you… relax.”
Maria’s heart pounded. Silori was a flirt, but surely that was for the male customers. “Just a massage?”
“It can be.” Silori moved closer till her breasts pressed against Maria’s head. “Or it can be more…”
More. Maria liked the sound of more. But as much as she fantasized about women, she’d never been with one. The offer was as nerve-wracking as it was exciting. She was so deep in thought that it caught her by surprise when Silori’s hands made their way into Maria’s collar. Silori’s soft hands felt intoxicating on Maria’s bare skin.
Silori pulled down Maria’s bra strap and then caressed her shoulders. The seductress bent over and whispered in Maria’s ear, “I know you want more.”
Maria closed her eyes and leaned her head back into Silori’s ample bosom.
More.
She could have more of this. Silori would undress, then Maria would… she would… wait… what would she do? Fumble around. Say something stupid. Touch the wrong spots. That’s what she’d do. Look like an idiot. Her eyes shot open and she removed her head from Silori’s breasts.
“Something wrong?” asked Silori.
“I can’t pleasure someone as experienced as you.”
Silori chuckled. “Eardwulf is not the only teacher here. I’ll give you training as well. My training.” Silori put Maria’s head back between her breasts. “No sword swinging in mine, though.” She cackled, clearly proud of her own joke. Maria would’ve groaned if not for being distracted by the world’s squishiest puppies.
“Teach me,” said Maria.
Silori removed her hands from Maria, then stepped back. “There’s a vacant room on the third floor. Finish eating, then go there for your next training session.” She blew Maria a kiss, then swayed her hips as she left.
Maria scarfed down her food, then rushed upstairs. The third floor was a narrow, L-shaped corridor, with elegant floral wallpaper, lacquered wooden floors, and hung tapestries. It gave the feeling of an old log cabin. Silori stood before the door of the vacant room. When Maria’s eyes met hers, Silori opened the door and waved.
The room was just wide enough to give an adventurer a place to stay the night, with the bed taking up most of the room and the only storage being a chest underneath. No bathroom. Communal ones were at the end of each floor’s hallway. Maria gulped. Cleaning up after their lesson might be difficult.
This wasn’t a good idea.
Maria stared at Silori and didn’t move. The seductress pulled her bodice down, exposing an enormous boob with a stiff nipple pointed at Maria.
This was a good idea.