Anywhere but here Pt. 02

Hi, I don't have an editor so I'm sorry if there are any errors that I've missed. Again any constructive criticism is helpful. Enjoy =)

Chapter 1

Olya woke up that morning with her head pounding. It was worse than the time she and another novice had sneakily indulged in the communion wine. Last night's 'medicine' was undoubtedly the cause. As she slowly tried to sit up, she found the rest of her body ached profoundly as well. Her neck and her thigh throbbed from where she had been bitten by the Vampire, although these areas had been bandaged. Most of her muscles felt like she had run for miles without break, but her nether region was the focus of her discomfort. There was no way to forget what happened between her and Havi the night before, the thought of it filling her with apprehension and lingering arousal. The memory made her feel an emptiness between her legs, with a distant longing to be filled again.

She was dressed in a dark shirt. As she peeked through the flaps of the tent peeking Havi sat by the fire. She exited and joined him, he wordlessly handed her a cup of coffee and some breakfast. He looked pensive. He was dressed in a pair of trousers and boots with a raincape around his shoulders. 'He must have given me his shirt' She thought. Havi finally broke the silence.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked. Sounding guilty.

"... Sore... bit of a headache, but otherwise fine" She responded, in a fairly neutral tone.

"I need to sincerely apologise about last night. I failed to protect you from being taken, then after rectifying my error I took advantage of your vulnerable state and lost control of myself. It was despicable behaviour and I completely understand if you feel resentful towards me and wish for some form of retribution." He let out a pained sigh after his guilt ridden apology, waiting for any anger she was going to send his way.

Olya took a moment and pondered his words. Yes he definitely got carried away whilst he had been inside her but... he hadn't taken advantage of her as far as she was concerned, if anything it was the other way round. She saw him stung many times by the succubus. Besides, how was he meant to have known that the monsters he was hunting were in an irregular alliance and knew how to pick locks?

"You're forgiven" She said with a chuckle.

Havi looked confused "I am?"

"Yeah, I can genuinely say there are no hard feelings. You found me before any real damage was done by those lunatics, plus how many times did that succubus stick you... six?"

"Eight" Havi corrected her through gritted teeth, remembering that irritating succubus.

"Right, eight. She only stung me once and basically I threw myself at you once you unchained me. I understand your lack of restraint given the sheer amount of her venom that must have been coursing through you. Let's just agree now that if we come across another succubus that we both find better ways to deal with it than... what happened last night." She said with a warm slightly embarrassed smile on her face.

Havi let out the breath he was holding with a sigh of relief. "That's good I was worried you were going to be absolutely livid with me. Sorry that all I can give you is a shirt. Your stuff was completely shredded and I only have one spare set. I need the trousers when I go into town to buy more clothes, armour and collect the bounty. Pretty sure I am going to find it difficult to get served if I go showing the angle of my dangle." He finished with a smirk.

"I'm not sure about that, there might be some who enjoy the view. Might even score you a couple of discounts or at least some admiring glances" She retorted with a wry tone and reflecting smirk.

"Regardless I'm keeping the trousers, here's a blanket for some extra coverage, I imagine you don't feel the warmest right now". He got up and wrapped it around her shoulders as she sipped her coffee.

"Where are we?" she asked. Looking around to see if she recognised any of the surroundings.

"Just outside the cave where they took you." He pointed behind her. "Which is not too far from the town over there" He pointed to another direction and she saw some buildings poking above the treeline downhill from where they were.

"Seems odd that they built so much in the cave, I guess they have been here longer than the townsfolk realised" She pondered

"No, just lucky. They found a shrine from the pre-Faith days. Back when sacrifice was still practiced, hence the stone table with the manacles. Take another look if you like, there's nothing left in there that's still living" Havi corrected.

"I will, it'll use up some time while you're in town. I'm sure you want to get going and I definitely would like some new clothes... but can I just ask you something before you do?" She asked a slight nervous lilt to her voice.

"Sure, ask"

"Is what the succubus said true... are you a demon?" She asked, looking him dead in the eye.

"Yes and no. Demonic blood flows through my veins but I am mortal, not a full fledged demon." Havi looked at her directly, maintaining eye contact.

"I don't really know what that exactly means. The scripture talks in generalities and I haven't come across any books on the subject"

"Alright, that's understandable. Demons in the mythical sense, inhabitants of the Abyss, immortal beings of chaos will generally stay in the Abyss. They can't come to the material plane where we are without being summoned or by having a key. They get summoned by people belligerent or idiotic enough not to realise or care the damage their deals will do. The keys are made by a woman being offered to sire a child with the demon. The child allows them to come to this world temporarily when the veil is thin enough. I am one of those children, my father was a true demon and my mother was mortal. Thus I am the mortal child of a demon, not a true demon. It does cause a lot of fear and confusion for those who don't know the difference. Thinking that the being that you're fighting is an immortal who is definitely going to kill you is enough to shake the confidence of most fighters. Like last night's succubus for example. Now that you know, are you about to run away screaming?" He mused, giving her a concerned look.

With a sarcastic smile "I mean, if that's an option, I don't think I'd get far without shoes and underwear but I can throw in a half assed scream if you really want me to?" He let out a chuckle and smiled "... wait that means your father comes to this world? A fully fledged demon just walking around doing heavens knows what?"

"Occasionally but rarely, sometimes he pops by to say hello. You shouldn't be too worried, the period of time he can stay is normally less than a day, and the points when he can do it are sometimes years apart. He won't be up anytime soon." He explained. Olya contemplated this new fact of the world she was unaware of. "Well if you have finished, I will now go and buy you said underwear. Any preferences or should I just get whatever?"

"As long as it functions as underwear, I don't care. As we are travelling, trousers instead of a skirt would be better and I will need something to cover my hair, the Abbess demanded such."

"Why do you call her the Abbess even out here?" Havi asked bemused

"Because she's the Abbess" Olya puzzled at the thought

"Yes, but... why not just call her by her name?"

It then occurred to Olya a simple and obvious truth "I don't actually know what it is, she has always been the Abbess, sometimes mother... She has never told me"

Havi laughed "As long as I have known that woman, she has never ceased to find new ways to be bizarre. Her name is Lorana, for the record" He mounted Skyg and angled him towards town. "I'll be back as soon as I can, try your best to stay out of trouble. I know that seems to be a ridiculous challenge for you" He reached around his back and unhooked one of the daggers attached to his belt and threw it next to her "That's for just in case you can't. I really hope it stays sheathed" He and Skyg galloped toward town.

Olya sat next to the fire. She finished her breakfast and coffee with the blanket wrapped around her. After a couple of minutes, she decided to follow Havi's suggestion and re-examine the cave whilst sober and not being groped by human eating perverts. She entered the chamber and looked around. The charred, headless remains from her attackers were still on the floor emitting an acrid stench. She felt no pity for the monsters in spite of their horrible end, they had killed many and were going to do the same to her... good riddance. She looked on the walls and realised Havi was right; this was a pre-Faith ritual chamber. There were ancient paintings and markings in a language that must be long dead but it was still a thing of beauty, a work of art. She mused that if any agents of the Faith knew this was here they would destroy it and collapse the cavern to ensure no one might be 'corrupted' by these 'heretical' designs. All the more reason for them to remain ignorant of this place. She went over to the bench where the succubus had prepared the 'medicine' the night before and took stock of what was there. The succubus had amassed herself quite the interesting collection of herbs and alchemical agents, she had helpfully left her recipe book as well. 'This is all worth keeping' Olya thought, best to take it with her. Three ingredients caught her eye, all essential components in a Contrariis draught. Which after last night's activity with Havi would be prudent to brew lest she find herself with child. It's not something she should have known of if not for her illicit reading habits back at Wollingden's library. 'All knowledge becomes useful eventually' she thought, as she carried out her haul to camp keen to add it to her collection and brew the Contrariis.

She sat sipping her draught, content to patiently wait for Havi to return. She began to hear ungainly footsteps and the unpleasant sounds of someone hacking up the contents of their throat and spitting it out when the drunk from the bar came into view. Olya sighed hoping if she just stayed quiet and curled next to the fire the idiot would just keep walking by. The misfortune from yesterday was carrying into today it seemed, the idiot spotted her and began to approach.

"Well, Well missy looks like I found you. Innkeep said you'd been nabbed, looks like you're still breathing though." He said almost with a sneer. He ogled her up and down. While Olya did her best to keep her blanket as tightly wrapped around her as she could, it wasn't possible to hide her state of undress beneath. "You had a rough night? Look at you, not looking very nun-like now. Look like a two bit whore who sold herself harder than she could take it."

Olya just refused to look at him, she was not going to engage nor encourage him. She was going to sit there and ignore his vile words until the useless waste of breath pissed off. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to take precautions. She subtly slid Havi's dagger under the blanket within reach... just in case.

The drunken idiot still wasn't taking the hint and kept spitting out bile "Acted like you were too good for me, but you still parted yer legs last night didn't ya? Didya fuck the hunter or the monsters? Either way bet you're all loose downstairs now. S'what you get fer being such a slut!" He angrily slurred. Stumbling while he stood in one spot.

Olya would feel pity for this man who couldn't make it to the afternoon before drinking himself to a foul-mouthed buffoon if she didn't find him so disgusting.

"Hey slut since you're so easy now, it's only fair that you give me a turn. Now on your back, part them legs, I'll throw you a copper if you make it good for me" He slurred, a lecherous dopey grin on his face.

Olya stood up and brandished the dagger at him, dropping her blanket in the process. While Havi's shirt came half way down her thighs it still meant showing this piss-stained degenerate more of her skin than she had any desire to. This was not a fight she was prepared for, her body ached and her muscles screamed. Doubt tinged her resolve. She had stabbed the vampire in the neck but he hadn't gone down. What if that happened here?

"That is not going to happen, now leave!" she hissed at him.

"Come now, put that down before you hurt yourself, girl like you won't know how to use that thing" He gurned at her brimming with condescension

"Unfortunately for you, you are incredibly mistaken. Now unless you want to be the third man I've had to stab this week. FUCK OFF!" She bellowed at him. The thunderous fury within her barely contained.

"What a load of horseshit. Frail little thing like you overpower a bloke, don't make me laugh. Next ya gonna say that you can take that hunter in a fist fight... yeah right. Look, stop being a stubborn little bitch and just take it like the whore you are. Hunter's in town right now and ain't going to be here fast enough to stop me from creaming inside your slutty cunny. Now accept what you are and git on yer back HARLOT, before I decide I'm going to fuck up your arse until you bleed!" He gnashed as he threatened Olya and began to advance towards her.

This final tirade of obscenity unleashed a degree of rage inside Olya that she had never felt before as the full force of all the bullshit she had had to endure within the last five days hit her like a ton of bricks. She had been attacked in her home, nearly assaulted, forced to kill a man, told that she had a father who was psycho best avoided, driven from her home, forced into fleeing for her life with a stranger, kidnapped by a pair of perverts who had planned to rape her then eat her and now this entitled disgusting prick. Olya felt like something broke and unleashed within her, something raw... primal.

An eerie calm took hold in the air, the birds ceased singing and any animals moving in the trees, stopped and stood silent. The drunk didn't notice the change. His focus was on Olya. Maybe he'd hit the bottle too hard this morning because it looked like the girl's eyes were glowing, like lightning was dashing behind them. While her hair seemed to be floating like static during a storm. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Olya spoke, her voice sounding deeper with an echoing boom of thunder.

"YOU WILL NEVER LAY A FINGER ON ME!"

The drunk didn't have the time to finish his final thought 'What the f-' before an enormous crash of thunder exploded across the sky. Lightning forked down and split the drunk into charred pieces and sent them flying. Whatever Olya channeled left her somehow numb yet charged and full of energy. Her muscles felt strong, powerful. Like the drunk could reassemble and then she could tear him apart with her bare hands. She paced around the camp trying to calm her breathing. 'What was that? That was definitely magic. How did I do that? Could I do it again?' As her breath steadied she felt this strange energy dissipate. She returned back to feeling achy, cold and tired, so curled up with the blanket in front of the fire again.

Havi had finished his errands in town. He'd been richly rewarded for kills by the mayor, found armour that was as good as his previous set, replaced his spare clothes and found an outfit he was quite confident Olya was going to like. As he was leaving the shop where he had found Olya's mandated hair covering he heard a ridiculously loud boom of thunder fill the air. Shortly followed by a bolt of lightning striking next to camp. 'SHIT' was his immediate thought, next was the need to get back to Olya and check that she hadn't been hurt. He leapt onto Skyg and galloped through town receiving shouts and complaints. Within a couple of minutes he reached camp and surveyed the scene. Olya was alive and gently rocking back and forth in front of the fire, there was also a small hole in the ground nearby with spiked glass formed at the bottom with charred body parts surrounding it.

He dismounted Skyg and slowly walked up to Olya. She was staring at the fire, not looking at him. He then asked as gently as he could but tension and confusion crept into his voice.

"Olya? What just happened?"

She finally looked up at him and answered in a surprisingly calm voice "It was me. I did that"

"How?" He asked, tension still present in his tone.

"He just made me so angry, something snapped? Broke? No... unleashed. Then he was..." she made a gesture with her hands mimicking an explosion.

"What did he do?"

"At first he just insulted me and was crude like last night in the bar, but then he decided he was going to rape me. Even when I pulled the knife on him he wasn't deterred. Just insults and threats. He started coming towards me so..." she pointed to the smouldering remains

"Same guy from last night? The stinking idiot drunk?" Havi pondered. The next course of action forming in his mind.

"Yeah, same guy." Olya confirmed.

Havi paced "Okay, the man didn't seem popular and I heard someone make a joke about how his wife will dance a jig the day he dies, so he's not going to be missed in a hurry. But leaving a charred corpse here for anyone to find is careless. So here, take your clothes and get dressed" He threw a bag at her. "I'm going to gather up the pieces of our not-so dearly departed drunk and take them into the cave. I'll hack up the other two bodies and scatter the pieces amongst them. In the unlikely event anyone finds them hopefully no one will clock that there are more body parts then there should be. Best case scenario, people assume the guy just fell down drunk somewhere hard to find and died. While I do that you pack up camp"

"Why does it matter? We're leaving this town anyway?" Olya queried

"Olya, while I have no doubts that this man earned the fate you have delivered to him. You have just committed murder with magic in territory controlled by the Faith. Our passage through these lands is made much simpler when we're not labelled as criminals. Which is easily avoided by not leaving evidence of a crime out in the open... Now if you'll excuse me I need to dismember some charred corpses" Havi then went about picking up the crispy remains of the drunk and disappeared into the cave.

After taking a moment to ponder his words and realising that infuriatingly, he was correct, again. She put on her new clothes. Havi had a good eye, it all fit pretty well. The underwear as requested was functional and the trousers were great, form fitting but easy to move in, a vast improvement over skirts. The hair covering was different to the veil she was used to. It required her to tie her hair up into a bun and then wrap the fabric around her head and secure it with a band. It was going to be an adjustment but it was for the best, the nun's vestments would ultimately gather unwanted attention. She felt pretty far from being a novice and unfit for the habit after laying with a man, casting magic and committing murder all within a day. Yet part of her was revelling in the blatant defiance of scripture. She held her temples in her fingers, shrugged, sadly laughed at herself and set about packing up camp. She was quickly done and Havi emerged from the cave soon after trying to brush off evidence of his grim task.

"All done?" she asked

"Yeah" Havi scrunched up his face in mild disgust "Urrrhh... don't know what's worse, being covered in blood or corpse dust. I got some in my mouth" He started trying to cough it up, whilst sticking out his tongue and partially gagging. The whole display reminded Olya of a cat trying to cough up a hairball, she had to stifle a giggle at the thought.

"Well here's your shirt back, thank you for providing me with at least some dignity" She tossed it to him with a smile. "And sorry that you had to get corpse on you"

He caught it and swiftly put it on "You're very welcome and you're forgiven, now please excuse me" He proceeded to grab a canteen and take a hearty swig. He throatily gargled the water, spat it out and wiped his tongue on his shirt. "Arrg why does it still feel so dusty in my mouth, it feels greasy somehow too"

Olya couldn't suppress the giggle this time "I'm sorry Havi, I shouldn't laugh but your face is kinda funny"

Havi couldn't help but notice they reflected words he'd said to her a few days before. He jokingly hung his head and sighed "It's okay but in future when you murder someone try not leave me a dusty corpse to deal with or better yet just don't leave a corpse at all"

He mounted Skyg and held out his hand to help up Olya. She took her place in the front of the saddle enjoying how much easier mounting a horse in trousers was.

She jokingly asked "Are you saying murder is fine as long as I quickly remove the evidence?"

Havi spurred Skyg forward and replied lightheartedly "Ideally, we don't murder anyone unless we have to. I'm going to class this as, 'possibly, necessary, accidental murder' because I left you unsupervised. In future though you need to get whatever you did today under control and prioritise subduing your opponents." He tone turned more serious "I am not joking you need to get a handle on that because while what you did was something amazing, that will get us a lot of the bad kind of attention when used in the wrong place. If it was going to happen, better it happened here in this remote town, where most people aren't going to spend much time wondering why there was a brief aggressive thunderstorm in the middle of a clear day and the local drunk is suddenly missing. In other places, people might connect those dots."

"You've made your point. but was it really 'amazing'? There must be other mages who can do that?" Olya asked mildly incredulous

"To be able to summon a storm and call lightning down from the sky? I've known renowned archmages in the borderlands who would have given their first born to be able to raise that kind of power" There wasn't a hint of humour in his voice. He was beyond serious.

"But the Abbess... Lorana, she summoned these bolts of fire that left big burning holes in those guys that invaded the Abbey, it doesn't seem that different in terms of effect?" She questioned

Havi tried to explain "It's application and efficiency. Lorana used the minimum amount of energy she needed to do that. Whereas for you, how do I put this? Heard of icebergs?" Olya nodded "Well like an iceberg crashing into a ship, you dragged out this massive weight and bulk then used only a fraction of it to actually do the damage. Making it a massive waste of energy on your part. If you learn to fully utilize the iceberg so to speak..."

"It would be incredibly destructive" She realised with a sobering thought

"Which is why you need control, and ideally start at the other end of the scale, using minimal force. If you had enough control you could just maybe stun people, temporarily paralyze them instead of killing. Until that happens I think I need to show you how to fight in close quarters with a short blade"

"You're going to teach me?" Olya could barely contain her enthusiasm

"It's just so you can defend yourself from the next creep who thinks you're an easy target when I'm not there. No matter how competent you get, I am not taking you hunting with me. Despite the recent hiccups, that rule is not changing. Frankly it's getting concerning just how much of a magnet for trouble you are." Havi let out a frustrated sigh.

While Havi had tried to mute her enthusiasm, she was still brimming with excitement.

"Where are we going next?"

"South, across the mountains. On the other side is a town called Falinraike next to some ruins which is where the town got its name. Apparently something has moved into the ruins, they want it dealt with and I want the payday. This time you are staying by my side until I know what it is. Once I establish it's not something that's going to pick the lock on your door in the middle of the night. You're staying in the room." Havi announced

"Alright. Do you think the beastie is going to have some weird team up going on as well?" She asked

"I bloody hope not" Havi seemed somewhat deflated. Antithetical to her own enthusiasm

Olya thought it best not to push any conversation and chose to enjoy the scenery as Skyg moved them closer and closer to the mountains.

Chapter 2

It was approaching dusk, the sun was beginning to sink and a pink blush was spread across the sky. As the two of them continued their ascent into the mountains Olya couldn't help but admire the view. From this height she could see for miles around, it was breathtaking. She did see something that was a point of concern, some ominous looking storm clouds were brewing on the horizon.

She pointed them out to Havi.

"That's not good, it's definitely heading our way"

"We should find somewhere to take shelter for the night before it hits" He advised "Not really any trees up this high, look for any outcrops or caves that should save us from the worst of it."

Olya nodded in agreement and directed her attention towards finding a good camping spot.

As the wind began to pick up they found a cave large enough to comfortably sleep in to take cover from the storm. Havi handed the reins to Olya and dismounted Skyg.

"I'm going to check it out, make sure nothing is in there that's going to take issue with us spending the night. Stay here." He ordered.

Olya waited outside. The wind became stronger and began to sting her eyes and make them water, forcing her to shield her face from the gale. Then the heavens opened and rain started to pelt her sideways. She silently prayed to the Faith's deity that the cave would be uninhabited or that Havi was able to dispatch whatever might be living inside. Within a few minutes Havi returned.

"All clear, come on in before the rain soaks you to the bone"

She lead Skyg into the cave and Havi helped her dismount.

"Sorry that took so long, this cave is larger than I thought" He apologised.

The cave was dry and impervious to the howling winds outside.

"Guess dinner is going to be cold tonight there's no way we're making a fire with what's here" Olya lamented

"Unfortunately yes." Havi confirmed "But we have shelter for the night which is better than nothing"

The pair sat on the floor of the cave eating their dried rations. The temperature began to drop, the rain changed to hail and snow. Olya saw her breath turn mist and her wet clothes began to chill her. She unfurled her bedroll and curled up beneath her blanket desperate to put some warmth back in her bones. It didn't help and her teeth began to chatter. The noise didn't escape Havi's attention. He laid out his bedroll right next to hers.

"Take off your clothes." he commanded

"Ex-c-c-cuse m-m-me?!" Olya exclaimed through her chattering teeth

"Your wet clothes are making you colder, you can't warm up while you're wearing them. Take them off" Havi repeated his command

Olya obeyed and slipped out of her clothes under the blanket and handed them to Havi. He laid out her wet garments over Skyg's saddle, his warmth hopefully helping them to dry. He overlaid his blanket with hers, took off his raincape and added that as well. He then took off his shirt and slipped under the blanket, his bare skin met hers. Olya hadn't noticed his movements until she felt his warm chest pressed against her back. She jolted in surprise.

"W-w-what are y-y-you d-d-doing?" She shivered.

"I have no ulterior motives. Just trying to warm you up. I run hotter than most, a benefit of my demonic bloodline. Should help to stop your teeth from chattering." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She squeezed herself as tightly against him as she could, desperate to take whatever warmth he could give her.

After some time she stopped shivering and felt some of the chill leave her. She didn't need to be as close to Havi anymore but it felt good to just lie there and be held by him. Feeling his breath on her neck and his fingers grazing the skin on her stomach. Even while stuck in this cave, halfway up a mountain, miles away from home she felt comfortable and peaceful. It soon became clear though, that Havi wasn't feeling quite as peaceful as her. While pressed against him she felt the growing hardness between his legs. She turned her face to his and raised an eyebrow with a wry smile.

"I am not trying to be ungentlemanly, it's just a natural reaction to holding a beautiful naked woman" Havi gave her a sheepish grin. Olya grinned back and decided now would be an opportunity to have a little fun. She started to gently grind her rear into his groin.

He groaned in response. "That is not helping"

"It's helping me get warm" she teased "I don't have any ulterior motives"

"I'm having a hard time believing that" his breathing started to deepen. He tightly grabbed hold of her hips. Olya couldn't tell if he was trying to stop her or intensify the contact between them.

He whispered in her ear "I know what you're trying to do and it isn't a great idea"

"Why not? Part of you certainly seems to agree with me" she purred. Running her finger along his jaw.

"While I can't deny that I enjoyed last night. We were both under the influence of succubus venom. Tonight there is no such excuse. It would make things very complicated between us. Other reasons too" Havi protested weakly.

"Why does it have to be complicated? And what else is the issue?"

"For starters, I don't think you have taken the considerable age gap into account." Havi nuzzled her neck.

"It isn't that bad, you're well preserved for an old man" she joked

" I was around long before your mother was a twinkle in your grandfather's eye. I am THAT old." Havi gave her a pointed look

"So that just makes you a dirty ages-old man. Noted." She quipped

Havi half smiled "Well I'm glad you're taking this seriously. There's still another problem"

"What's that then?" She asked, wearing a mischievous smirk.

"There's no way you're taking me inside you tonight." He said with unwavering confidence.

"What makes you so sure of that?" She asked practically pouting.

"So are you claiming that you're not feeling tender and sensitive here..." He brushed his fingers at the top of the tuft of hair between her legs. "... After what happened last night. If that's the case. Then I'm calling you a liar." He purred into her ear.

She rebuked "I'm not lying!"

He proved it by moving his hand to the entrance of her sex and slowly slipping two fingers inside. She trembled and moaned.

He lightly bit her ear and whispered "Thought so." Then flashed a puckish grin. He started to remove his fingers when she grabbed his wrist.

"Don't stop... it's helping me to... warm up" she wore a girlish pout "I'm still so cold".

Havi wasn't fooled, but was in the mood to indulge her.

"Well If it's necessary to get you warm I think I can oblige. As you claim it's...'medically necessary'" He raised an eyebrow and wore a sarcastic smirk.

He sank his fingers back inside her and slowly began pumping them in and out. He relished her gentle moans as her sex swallowed his fingers. His palm gently tapped against her nub when he inserted his fingers with each thrust. The result left her trembling.

"Oh dear, are you still cold? Do I need to work harder to make you hot and sweaty?" Havi asked with a half mocking whisper in her ear.

"Uh huh" she moaned.

"Guess I'll need to spread your legs then" Havi grinned lasciviously. Olya's eyes went wide. Havi chuckled "For someone who was trying to coax me into plunging myself inside you earlier, you look like you've reconsidered. Are you realising my fingers are all you can take right now?" Olya nodded sheepishly. "My manhood isn't going inside you, but I am definitely going to fuck you with my fingers" he quietly growled.

He withdrew his fingers and twisted her round to face him. He ran his fingers down her thigh before gently grasping it and hooking it over his hip. He cradled her face in his hands before giving her a tender kiss. He ran his hands down her chest. One stopped at her breast and began teasing her nipple. The other continued between her legs and thrust his fingers into her sex up to the knuckle. This time his fingers pumped in and out at a faster pace, caressing that pleasurable spot inside she had discovered the night before.

His treatment of her body aroused whimpers and moans from her mouth that she couldn't stop. He ceased his teasing of her nipple with his other hand and traced his fingers down her stomach to the top of her sex and began gently tracing circles around her nub. Olya placed her hands on Havi's chest and balled up her fists as the pleasure overtook her body. Havi intensified his caresses of her lower body. A sloppy sucking sound could be heard coming from under the blanket, conveying just how wet Havi's fingers were making her. He continued pumping his fingers in and out of her, revelling in how she squirmed. She began to shake her hips, instinctively angling herself to take his fingers as deep as possible. It wasn't going to be much longer. She shivered and gave Havi a deep, needy kiss. As she ran her tongue against his, her orgasm took her and she moaned into his mouth, tensing her whole body before relaxing. She felt hot and happy. She and Havi quietly held each other for a few minutes.

"Feeling 'warm' now?" Havi mirthfully asked.

Olya answered blissfully "Yes, very... don't you also want some relief" softly running her hand over the bulge between his legs.

Havi gave her a wry look and chuckled "Despite what some men claim, it will go down on its own eventually. Unless you are just that keen to touch it?"

The familiar blush of pink spread across her cheeks "I am... curious about it"

"Alright then, if you insist" Havi relented in mock defeat.

He unfastened his trousers and pulled them down, freeing his manhood. Olya took the opportunity to reach over and touch it. She inspected it with her hands. She ran her fingers up and down his shaft marvelling at its warmth, hardness and the veins running along its length, his skin was surprisingly soft as well. She continued her sensual investigation downwards as she checked his balls. She was surprised at the size and weight. The skin wasn't as soft as the shaft. As she kneaded his balls Havi was starting to breathe more deeply. She moved her touch up to his tip and grasped her fingers around it, which elicited a sharp gasp from Havi.

"Does this feel good?" She asked, unsure.

"It's not bad, but that particular part is sensitive, so try to be gentle. Here try this" Havi instructed her.

He placed one of her hands around the length to pump up and down while the other was arranged gently around the tip to caress it. She moved her hands as shown and was rewarded with Havi taking shorter and sharper breaths. She kept at the movements for several minutes. Havi let out quiet moans and kept eye contact with her. It wasn't much longer before he started thrusting into her hands.

"Faster" He groaned. Olya happily obliged and increased the speed of her ministrations.

As he got closer to cumming he started to let out a growl. Until Olya felt him tense and then he released himself... all over her chest.

Whilst Havi wore a face of relaxed bliss, Olya was mildly disgusted at the slimy substance now coating the front of her torso. Once the blood returned to his brain, Havi reached for his nearby discarded shirt and carefully wiped her down before throwing it aside.

"Thanks." He smiled. "That was satisfying."

Olya returned his smile. "Shall we call it a night?"

He nodded and rolled onto his back, inviting Olya to sleep with her head on his shoulder. She snuggled up. With her warm muscular pillow, sleep soon found her.

Chapter 3

Olya awoke the next morning to the cold mountain air on her face. Her clothes were dry and folded into a neat pile next to her. She pulled off her blanket feeling a shock as the chilly ambient temperature met her bare skin, she rushed to pull on her clothes to shield herself from it. She packed up her bedroll and walked to the mouth of the cave to look for Havi outside. Overnight the world had been covered in a blanket of cold glistening white powder that went halfway up her calf. It was gorgeous and seemed to muffle the noise of the world making it seem more tranquil. She took in her surroundings, Havi was closeby with Styg and she walked over.

He greeted her "Morning, no coffee or hot breakfast, there's nothing around to burn that isn't frozen or soaked through. So let's just get going" He hoisted her back up into the saddle. Then seated himself behind her and handed over some jerky. "I want to get over to the other side and out of this snow as soon as possible, we're lucky it's not deeper than this"

After a couple hours they crested the ridge of the mountain allowing a view of the region on the other side. Havi guided Olya's view "If you see down there, that's Falinraike, you can see the ruins... and if you look back, that speck on the horizon over there is Wollingden. You can just about make out the Abbey's steeple."

Olya was in awe of the view, he was right she could make out the Abbey's familiar steeple.

"How long do you think it will take us to reach Falinraike?"

"Hopefully before nightfall. It's always quicker going down than up."

He urged Skyg forward and started to zigzag their way down the mountainside. It was only a few hours before the slope started to level out and trees thickened to become woodland.

A thought occurred to Olya "Isn't it odd that it's just a large incredibly wide mountain with some jagged peaks? Normally don't they form in clusters creating numerous valleys?" She cogitated.

Havi gave her a curious look. "I'm not an expert on rock formations, but your eyes aren't deceiving you, it's not a normal mountain. It didn't form naturally, it was made through magic close to a millenia back."

"A mage did this?" She looked back at the mountain in wonder

"A by-product of the Maleficarum Age, I hope there isn't anyone running around with that kind of power these days." He explained

"Maleficarum Age? I've not heard of that."

"I'm short on details myself, it was an age when magi were able to command ridiculous amounts of power and warred with each other causing devastation" He gestured to the mountain.

"If that's true you'd think there would be more information about that." She pondered

"The Faith had a hand in that most likely. They do love purging the world of books and people that spread information they don't like." Havi speculated

"Why though? Surely that vindicates their teaching on magic, that it's dangerous and not something to be wielded by mortal hands"

"It would be letting people know that some magi could achieve something close to godlike power, it might inspire fear in some but reverence in others. Also the Faith emerged at that time, they probably have some skeletons hidden away that they wouldn't want to be common knowledge. They have plenty of motivation to consider."

"If magi back then could wield that kind of power, why doesn't there seem to be anyone around today like that?"

"I don't know. The Penumbran Suzerain is rumoured to be ancient and wield insane amounts of power, there is someone else that comes to mind, perhaps they know. Can't say I'd been keen to ask either of them"

"Me neither".

The conversation died after this, Olya sat in silence and ruminated. There was lots about the world she didn't know and hadn't even considered. She resolved to do her best to learn as much as she could. The Faith had only allowed her to see the world from one particular perspective. It was best to examine things with a different lens going forward.

By sunset Skyg had carried them to Falinraike. Havi steered him to the Inn which had a stable this time to house Skyg, they dismounted and started to retrieve things from the saddle.

"Okay" voiced Havi "Let's get a couple of rooms, I'll check out what this is in the morning, then hopefully you can spend the rest of the day comfortably holed up in your room while I hunt."

"A couple of rooms?" Olya questioned. Her tone shifted to something attempting to sound sultry "Why don't we just share? Save yourself some coin, it would also deter anyone with foul intentions from sneaking in."

Havi raised an eyebrow and gave her a skeptical look. 'Her tune has changed drastically from a few days ago' he thought. "No, two rooms is fine. As long as I'm in the room next to you I'll hear if anyone tries to sneak in. Besides, if we share a room, tongues will wag and you will get a reputation."

Olya countered "We could just say that I'm your wife, no one will bat an eye"

Havi didn't want to share a room. He didn't think further increasing the intimacy between them was a good idea. Last night was a result of poor restraint and a lapse in judgement for him. She was throwing herself towards inevitable disappointment and potential heartbreak when she got to know him fully and realised what the significant age difference actually entailed. 'You can't resolve an experience gap of centuries by ignoring it' He thought.

Havi summoned a jovial tone, mimicking mock panic "I don't have a ring, where will I find a baker to make our wedding cake at such short notice let alone find a suit or send out the invites. Oh no! The caterers, your dress, the venue! Who will be my best man?!" He sarcastically dropped to his knees pretending to cry "THE CENTERPIECES" before standing back up and meeting Olya's gaze "You seem lovely but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment"

Olya gave him a withering look fighting the hint of a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "Okay, then what is our relationship if anyone asks?" She folded her arms

"Let's say you're my little sister and I'm escorting you across the land to your fiance" Havi retorted

"You didn't want to marry me, now you're pawning me off on another man. You wound me sir" She teased

"I promise you, you'll get over it. Your new fiance is wealthy, handsome and has an enormous..." He paused "... amount of land" He smirked.

Olya couldn't suppress her laugh. "Fine, lead on big brother."

The pair left the stable and walked into the Inn. It was larger than Loffbrook's and much livelier, the bar was loud and full of patrons. Havi headed over to the Innkeep, a tall broad man with weather beaten skin and a face that had little joy to be found.

"Hello sir, would it be possible to rent two rooms for myself and my sister?" Havi asked

"Aye, anything else?"

"Some dinner for the two of us please. I'm also here about the bounty contract posted. Is your mayor or ealdorman available so I might discuss it with them?"

"You a hunter?"

"Yes"

The innkeep turned to his left and bellowed, his voice clearly cutting through the noise and boisterous chatter in the bar "Errol, got a hunter here about the contract. Get off your arse!"

A short, plump middle-aged man got up from one of the booths and sauntered over swaying slightly. "Ealdorman Errol at your service" He slurred. "You a hunter?"

"Uh, Yes" Havi repeated himself "I've come to accept the contract"

"Ah good, those buggers that have moved in are a real pain in the arse. They've dragged off six people. One we found at the edge of the ruins, looked like something had eaten him from the inside out. Bloody horrible."

"I don't suppose anyone has managed to get a look at these things in the ruins, have they?" Havi queried

Errol stumbled in while standing in one spot. After righting himself he raised his hand in a gesture like he'd remembered something. He turned around and screamed "OY BARNEY!"

A man who had been at the same booth as Errol was passed out on the table, he jerked awake with only one eye open. "What?!" He clumsily got up and stumbled his way over.

Errol slurred "You saw them things, Hunter wants to know what they look like" He pointed at Havi.

Barney looked Havi up and down "Tall bastard ain't ya... Them things in the ruins they scuttle about on eight legs like a bug, they're speckled brown and green, 'bout four feet high, got these pincer jaw bits and tentacles" He flailed his arms around to demonstrate this last feature.

"How did they smell?" Havi asked

"Like rotting meat and dog shite" Barney replied

Havi pulled a bemused expression "Sounds about right"

Errol chimed in "You think you know what they are?"

"Pretty good idea, yes. I'll go and confirm tomorrow. Assuming it is what I suspect it to be, it won't take long. I'll take my payment on completion. We'll talk more tomorrow. Sorry for interrupting your party."

"It ain't a party it's a wake" Barney garbled

Olya asked, curious "Is it normal for a wake to be this, uh... rowdy?"

Errol answered still slurring "It's a local tradition, you keep drinkin' till the sad goes away"

"Does it work?" She inquired, somewhat dubious

"Not really, no. But you wake up with such an awful hangover the next day that you spend more time feeling sorry for yourself than being sad. So in a roundabout way, yes." Errol explained.

"... Thank you... that's most enlightening. Me and my sister need to get our rooms set up. We'll see you later" Havi interjected.

Errol tipped his non-existent hat and guided himself and Barney back to their booth.

Havi signalled the innkeep who guided them up to their rooms. Upon coming back down they found an unoccupied table and requested dinner. While sat down Olya surveyed the bar taking note of all attendees trying to gauge if anyone was suspicious or out of place. There was someone, he was sitting at the end of the bar not talking to anyone else. He wore a dark green hooded robe, had bronzed skin and had wavy golden blond hair that was long enough to cover his ears almost. Olya thought they looked strangely pointed from this distance.

"What are you looking for?" Havi asked amused

"I'm just trying to see if there are any weirdos I should be keeping an eye on" Olya replied

"Because...?"

"Last time I was in a bar a guy who spent a significant amount of time staring at me broke into my room in the middle of the night and bit me." Olya replied, giving Havi a pointed glare.

Havi relented "Fair enough, any weirdos caught your eye other than the grieving drunkards at this wake? Think there's three of them in the corner sharing the same vomit bucket."

"There's a guy at the end of the bar that seems unusual, he hasn't looked this way but I don't think he's a local"

Havi clocked him as well, assessed the stranger then let out a knowing chuckle "Definitely not local, but I wouldn't hold that against him, he seems to be minding his own business."

Before long the Inkeep brought out dinner and the pair of them tucked in. Whilst they ate Errol got up and went to talk to the stranger and pointed over to the pair of them, causing him to look their way. He got up and walked over to them. Olya was able to get a better look at him as he walked over. His clothes were all varying shades of dark green, his shirt, jacket and trousers, the exception was his brown leather boots. His face was angular, elegantly so, with deep blue eyes topped by arched brows. His frame was lithe, close to six feet tall and his movement was graceful. His ears were definitely pointed. 'Is he an elf?' she wondered. He approached their table.

"Hello, Errol tells me you're a hunter, that you've accepted the contract? If you are going to the ruins tomorrow. Would you mind escorting me? I want to examine them." His voice sounded dulcet, almost musical. It was peculiar.

Havi replied to him "I'll be doing a quick survey to confirm what I'm dealing with then I'll be coming back to put my sister safely in her room. No one joins me on my hunt."

"Why bring your sister at all?" The elf asked, understandably confused.

"My last hunt, the beastie was an intelligent predator, who snuck into her room and tried to nab her. So until I confirm the creatures in the ruins are the insectoid morons I suspect them to be. I'm not leaving her unattended." Havi explained.

"May I at least join you on your initial survey tomorrow?" The elf asked

"Can't you just wait until I clear out the beasts? Then you are free to examine the ruins without the risk." Havi queried

"I don't want to risk missing something because of damage that will be caused in your battles or from the locals clearing out the resulting corpses."

"You think me and the townsfolk are going to damage the ruins?" Havi narrowed his eyes on the elf.

"You're a hunter and I don't know your techniques. For all I know you'd use blast powder to kill these things and vandalize a piece of history for your paycheck. I have known of hunters who'd do so. As for the townsfolk, can you really blame me for believing they wouldn't be careful?" As if to demonstrate his point one of the men in the bar was hit in the face by a guy toasting his tankard too enthusiastically, he tripped and fell on a table, breaking it in the process. The elf raised an eyebrow at Havi.

"I concede your point about the townsfolk, but you are wrong about me. I don't use blast powder, I don't need to. I plan to go in with my blades and have no intention of causing damage." Havi assured

"But you can't guarantee you won't. Please just let me join you for your recon at least. I will pay you some gold for your sufferance and I won't get in the way, I just want a pair of eyes on my back in the event the creatures emerge while I study the ruins"

"Okay, deal. My name is Havi, this is my sister Olya." Havi shook his hand

"My name is Tamlen. Scholar of the academy of Verum Lumen. I'll see you in the morning, shall we meet at breakfast and leave after?" Havi nodded "Very well, I'll see you tomorrow, nice to meet you both" He returned to his spot at the bar and left the pair to continue their meal.

"Was that an elf?! Did we just meet an elf?!" Olya could barely contain her excitement.

"Calm down, sorry to piss on your parade but it's really not as exciting as you think it is. Spend a bit more time with him tomorrow and you'll find that elves aren't all that mysterious and wondrous. Just arrogant oddballs with pointy ears." Havi said, sounding unimpressed.

"Can't you just let me enjoy this?" She jokingly pouted

"Seriously? You weren't nearly this excited when I told you about my heritage yesterday" Havi huffed

"There was other stuff going on yesterday, plus it's an elf!" Her enthusiasm undiminished

"Are you kidding me, one is an extradimensional immortal being existing beyond time and mortal comprehension, the other is most famous for dancing naked through fields of flowers." Havi continued his huff

"For the record I would definitely enjoy watching you dance naked through a field of flowers. I could even make you a garland and a flower crown. If you did, that would definitely elevate you above elves in my eyes" She teased him, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

Havi gave her a withering look. "I walked right into that and I have no one to blame but myself."

Olya let out a hearty laugh "If I spot a field full of flowers in the future..."

"NOOOOPE, absolutely not. Never happening!" Havi's face became surly

"Tell me, which part most offends you? The nudity, the flowers or the dancing?" Olya wore a mocking smile

"Oh just shut up!" He sulked

Olya just grinned from ear to ear 'victory' she thought.

The two of them finished dinner and went upstairs to their rooms. The Inkeep had provided a washbowl and some water which Olya was going to thoroughly take advantage of. She stripped down to her underwear and scrubbed herself clean. Feeling safe in the knowledge that Havi was just in the next room and the door was securely locked, she decided she was going to sleep like this. She was going to enjoy the feel of soft cotton sheets against her skin and enjoy a night of uninterrupted sleep in an actual bed. Shortly after resting her head against the pillow she felt herself drift away.

To be continued