I watched as Dantae and Maria stepped through a black hole into god knows where, and proceeded to look at Alison in an expectant manner.
She looked back at me in confusion, and finally opened her mouth to ask a question, but before she could utter a word I started talking. "Sorry, I forgot you couldn't open up the black holes by yourself. Come on."
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand as I willed the photons to congregate in front of me, calling the void to be my doorway. I took Alison by the arm and walked through, which lead us into our basement,a dilapidated grey room that we lovingly called “the dungeon.”
Alison looked at the stained walls and chains on the floor before giving me a very hard frown. "Where are we, and why does it look so disgusting down here?" I just looked at her, thinking about whether I should tell the truth or not.
First of all, we were in the apartments basement, and as Dantae and I had purchased the entire building to rent out, we had exclusive access. I wasn't sure whether to tell her that this was Dantae's pet project, and that she poured a large amount of time into creating that "perfect sex dungeon feel," but... actually no, I think it would be fine to tell her.
"We're in the basement, stylized personally by Dantae. Its one of her sources of pride. The dirty walls are actually just paint. She wants to use this often but usually doesn't make it down here before she loses her reasoning." Alison blushed at the implied use before turning to look at my face, which remained stone cold. She finally sighed and decided to move on.
"Got it, not actually disgusting, just meant to seem so… Vanessa is weird, huh?" Seeing me nod, she decided to carry on.
"So what are we doing here?" I took her through a door and down a hallway of six cells to the last one on the left. I looked inside to see if our subject was still there, and breathed in relief as I saw the silhouette of a chained snake in the window of the photon reinforced door. I opened the door, and walked into the room which emitted the same feeling as the void. Alison followed, but not before shuddering as she crossed the threshold of the reinforced room.
"Is that what I think it is!?" Alison stared at the creature in shock and awe before turning to me with that same expression. I faced away from her and back at the imprisoned Temptation.
"Welcome Alison, this is where your first step toward controlling the void starts."
---
Vanessa walked through the portal with Maria in tow, that deer in headlights look still on her face from stepping through the void. She swore if this wasn't worth her time or the pervert was too slow a learner she'd have Leo pay for it later.
They were in a city in Japan, the outskirts of Tokyo to be specific. As she bumped into old faces and greeted each one, she could feel Maria growing impatient.
"Wow Dantae, I didn't know someone like you was capable of smiling." She tried to get Vanessa to lose her cool, but it didn't work.
"First of all, you don’t get to call me that. Secondly, I’m sorry, I only show emotion to those that are worth my time, which means clearly you aren't." Maria frowned and angrily stomped her foot in the ground several times before getting over it and following behind Vanessa. The rolling hills of Japan were having a full effect on Maria, who was out of breath by the time they reached the dojo.
Vanessa walked in and bowed to the master of the establishment, who greeted her with a wide grin. After pleasantries, he walked them towards a room, and opened a set of sliding doors revealing a 4x11 tatami room, with a long katana hanging on the wall.
It was her blade's namesake, which when translated comes out to Morning Glory in English. The blade was an amalgamation of Japanese and European culture, and the result of one European blacksmith's idea of an improved katana. It was one with a silver blade yet the hilt and guard of a bastard sword, and a large sapphire hung tightly by a chain on its pommel.
"Wow that's a beautiful weapon..." Maria stared at the katana in wonder and awe. If she could understand the craftsmanship of that blade, then Vanessa thought that maybe there was hope for her yet.
Maria hadn't spoken out of turn except for that one comment, she hadn't touched Vanessa at all. Vanessa could only feel Maria’s stare on her ass, which she had to admit was a clever little loophole to her demands earlier. Vanessa sighed, and threw Maria one of the wooden shinai practice swords that were put on display in a wooden stand before taking one of her own.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"You're a Tracker, so show me. Show me how far your weapon transformation has come!"
---
Alison's rough breathing as she lay on the floor resounded and echoed through the dungeon. The Temptation was still chained down, and Alison was panting just outside of the area it's chain allowed it to move in.
I nudged her lightly with my foot. "Repeat to me what I just taught you about the void." She was still panting, but managed to slow her breathing and calmed herself down.
"The void is just an extension of the black hole portals. To be even more specific, the void is what connects all portals in subspace. Subspace is the terminal of the void, and by traveling through subspace in our mind when we imagine another space, the photons in our bodies create a link between the two places and a portal is formed." I grinned hearing her explanation, and lightly pat her head.
"Good girl," I said in the most encouraging voice I could muster, "when you pass I'll relieve you of your photon buildup, whatever that may be.
Alison sat up, bright red due to the physical contact, and once again stood to face the Temptation, summoning all her powers to battle the beast.
---
Vanessa stood over a battered Maria, chips of splintered wood scattered all over the dojo as a sign of their battle. In her hand she held a wooden replica of Morning Glory, while Maria's shinai lay broken in half by her side.
Vanessa got angry at the girl for wasting her time and shouted, "Again!"
Maria wobbled to her knees before taking one half of the shinai in each of her hands and rising to her unsteady feet.
A roar from Maria signified the beginning of the next round and her shinai started to morph into twin daggers.
Vanessa smiled at the girls latent potential and quick use of thought. "Good. At least now I know you're not a complete waste of time. The transmutation ability isn't hard to use but hard to master. Now come on, we still have one more round to go today!" With that positive reinforcement, surprising even herself, Vanessa and Maria started their final spar of the day.
---
"Finally!" Alison let loose a victory cry as she slumped down next to the dead Temptation. I poked and prodded at her to get a reaction but no amount of annoyance could wake her. I sighed as I realized I'd have to deal with her photon buildup when she awoke, and took a sitting position next to her.
I looked at her once again, her heart shaped face drew me in first, and then my eyes started to wander.
I worked my way down, looking over her muscular arms, and the sweat that dropped down her neck into her large cleavage. Seriously, I think hers are slightly bigger than Dantae's, and that is impressive. Her waist was equally proportionate and muscular, and her wide hips made for an alluring hourglass figure. Honestly, what did she see in me?
Even thinking of Maria, she was very attractive, and had she not outright confessed her lesbian romance to Dantae when they first met, I would start to think that General Armando just has a thing for sending beautiful women to ruin my life.
I traced my fingers along the outline of Alison's face, and the contact and movement made her elicit a small giggle.
Realizing that I'd have some kind of complication to deal with in the next few minutes, I took my hand from her face and opted to gaze around the room, caved in walls, cratered floors, dented ceiling and all.
---
Vanessa gracefully lowered herself into the onsen as she moved the towel covering her body into a neatly folded square by the side of the hot spring. She relaxed and started to enjoy the view of the forest before she heard a mad stomping from behind her and a girl going completely commando cannon-balled right into the middle of the water.
A wave was sent crashing over her, which pissed her off. She then thought about how much of a disrespect to culture Maria’s actions were and she drew her first back and nailed the jaw of Maria, who had just come up for air.
She sputtered and fell back in the onsen, making a smaller wave that caused much less damage than the one before it. Maria stood slowly and spewed water out of her mouth in a fine arc before resting next to Vanessa at the edge of the onsen.
"This is why Japanese natives hate Americans, you stupid culturally insensitive assholes." She looked directly at Maria, who only shrugged and gave her a cheeky grin.
"Oh," she said haughtily, "does that mean Leo is also a culturally insensitive asshole?" Vanessa knew what she was trying to get from her, and she wouldn't let Maria have the satisfaction.
"Yes he is," Vanessa said, remembering what he did to that elderly woman in the Paris Dimension,"but he has his reasons. You don't, however, so don't expect the same treatment." Maria shut up after that and they sat quietly, watching the sakura bloom.
After a while, Maria turned to Vanessa and spoke seriously. "Thanks for taking me here Sensei. When the buildup started to leak into my muscles, the pain was so intense that I passed out multiple times while you were carrying me over here." She shook her head and muttered, "Such a waste."
She looked so sad that Vanessa felt bad about her descending confidence levels, and tried to reassure her.
"Don't worry. When I first met Leo he had the same buildup condition, so I can't count the number of times I had to carry Leo to a hot spring or bath. Thanks to that I have a strong back though."
Maria smiled at Vanessa once more and then glanced down at her breasts. "Are they supposed to float on the water? Strong back indeed." Needless to say Maria got a second blow to the head that day.