Hearts, Spells & Passion Ch. 21-25

21 -- Corpse Garden

Afternoon light leaked into the decaying tavern, and Rennia shielded her eyes from the sunrays blasting through holes in the rooftop. She stood in fresh clothing, clad in some dead adventurer's gambeson. Ishmere had assured her that ownership issues were no longer a problem, nor would it smell since someone had stored it away for years ago. It did, however, smell of dust and old wood.

She sheathed her sword in the belt around her waist. While she lacked a shield, she had improvised by taking an old black metal pot as a makeshift one. It was a dumb idea in retrospect, but she didn't have much choice or reason not to. Cloth armor made her uncomfortable.

Ishmere watched her, arms folded, hovering off the floor. Her ethereal form appeared practically solid at the moment--less hovering cloud, more stern and angry woman. While she wasn't naked, her semi-erect cock was hard to ignore. Rennia found her sexual mania absolutely disgusting, and to add to her disgust, Ishmere circled her like an impatient cat.

"Well, are you going to get a move on or what? I see zero reason for all this effort. Just run into the cave where I hid it. Get it out, come back, and then we do the ritual."

Rennia stared at her, frowning. "You said nothing about a damn cave. You just said it was north of here, in the forest out there, and you think I'm supposed to go unarmed?"

The ghost shrugged. "Of course not, my dear Rennia. But you have no skill with a shield, much less a pot lid. My body should be light as a feather. You might not need the lid at all. Just go find body and run back."

"What happens if I fail to find your body? What then?"

"I guess I'll just revert into a sex-crazed specter, start forgetting my name until I can leech off the energy of some wandering beasts. Maybe I'll lose hope, sever the connection to my body, turn into something foul, weep and haunt an unhelpful brat whose name starts with R."

Rennia bit her lips. "Well, just point me in the right direction. Don't waste time speaking in diatribes. Are you aware that giant rats have settled into the local area? They're living under your tavern."

"Rats! No. Really? That might be bad for customer perception. No matter, we'll deal with this when I get the chance."

Rennia shuddered at the thought of dealing with the hairy oversized rodents. She'd seen what happened when you let an infestation grow. A year of unwarranted negligence, and you could have several rat kings chewing on unsuspecting victims. Best to deal with them as soon as possible.

Rennia turned to the door, and just as she prepared to leave, she caught Ishmere stroking herself. Penis rock hard. Not seductively either. She was moving away from Rennia, hovering off the ground, shamelessly doing that.

She seemed to have less control than Rennia herself, what could Rennia possibly learn from her.

She can't be doing that. No, that was going to be a severe problem.

"Don't do that," Rennia shouted.

"What?"

"Stop stroking. This is supposed to be a public lobby. What if you do this when you have your body back? You want to run a tavern. What if you stroke in public?"

"I'm falling apart, Rennia." Her voice cracked. "There's no one here but you. Clinging to old desires keeps me awake."

Rennia's face heated up, but she swore up and down that this needed to be addressed. "Well, stop that. It's distracting. I can't help but look. Don't do that when I get back."

Ishmere did stop the stroking, but then started mock crying instead. Rennia watched the spirit climb into a round table and stick her head through it, weeping about bygone days.

Rennia shook her head, then stared at the wall. A tab stuck to a ledger displayed names printed for nights unpaid and unaddressed. She wondered if these were the names of the cadavers in the room. She wondered if that was why the ghost was crying. Perhaps she had companionship with each and everyone of them.

She shrugged it off and stepped out the doorway.

The trail into the woods was narrow, almost overgrown. A clear path used to exist here, but Rennia could see the remnants: little bits of the path, almost too clear. Cobblestone and chipped-off wooden bits of a sign. It posed danger for a lost traveler, probably even her. The density of the trees would kill an inexperienced person overnight--and she meant without the intervention of monster.

It triggered a traumatic memory for Rennia. It had happened when she was kindling learner. She had gotten ahead of herself and cocky too. She and Lyanna had gone foraging for Maelstorm flowers at the backside of Kibblestadt, where the trees grew dense and the forest seemed to whisper to naughty idiots brats such as them. Typically, teachers instructed them to mark their direction so they could remember the way they came--almost every quarter mile, a significant and observable mark. She had forgotten to do that. One thing led to another, and someone had found her starving on the ground at 3 in the morning. She guessed it was telling in a way. Her excursions with friends to dungeons, tundras, and open steppes had been great, but forests seemed like her bane.

She put the memory out of her head. Let bygones be bygones. She couldn't make the same mistake. She had taken the effort to carve the numbers 1, 2, 3 into trees. Although she could see the tavern from here, she didn't want to deal with being lost.

The trees wept thick sap that smelled like old sweetened honey. Birds chirped in rhythm. But she had seen no sign of any immediate large animal or little wild goblin men. The cave was supposed to be no more than another half mile ahead.

The forest had an uncanny aspect. It wasn't quiet--no, and that threw her off. No prowling monster or predator lurked in the vicinity, just nothing. She pushed through thick underbrush and then stopped.

In front of her stood a rock-like structure, likely a natural formation. It was hollow from the outside; not much sunlight penetrated inside, but she could see just fine. That had to be the cave, though it wasn't much of one.

She walked forward, stepping on something. A branch. It snapped. She stared down at the weirdly spaced grass. Something big had moved here, something about the size from her feet to her chest. Couldn't be a deer. No, too many prints existed. More likely a crowd of warthogs or something. But it looked like it had carried something.

She followed the tracks into the cave, half cringing at what she was doing. Certainly a death sentence. She moved deeper, slowly taking a step into the dark interior. A skeleton lay against the wall, half of its bones missing and its jaw mostly dislocated. Another, goblin-sized, with a very big club next to it, lay lifeless, its skeletal hand reaching out for the weapon.

She stepped deeper.

A bear. Or some kind of wendigo. That was reason enough to retreat. Anything that hunted sentients posed a severe threat, a threat that any party might struggle with. Yet she was curious and confident that she needed to get it over with.

Turning into another chamber past the damp tunnel of the cave, she stopped cold.

There, mid-air, hung a body frozen in place, eyes wide open, half floating and stuck between webbing. It was Ishmere's physical body. Bare and seemingly still full of life. It breathed in and out, but no light shone in her eyes. Rennia's was suprised at the appearance, it seemed very much like a construct or a doll. And the more smaller tits did catch eye, so did the penis. It was a work of art.

She snapped out of it.

Rennia looked around. A giant spider must have kept her here near the corpse. Most were nocturnal or stayed internal. It didn't seem to be around.

She made haste. She started cutting at the webbing, making sure to start with the highest points, forcing the webbing to sag and let the body drop. Rennia grimaced as the body floated to the ground. Cutting through the last parts of the webbing, she didn't waste time on moral and ethical thoughts and picked Ishmere up from the ground. The corpse twitched but didn't respond any more than that. The body was lightweight, like someone had drained all the weight from her, but it showed no sign of malnourishment. She was perfectly healthy.

How was that possible.

Rennia put her on her back, tied her resting arms around her shoulder. Since changing and morphing, Rennia's new physique had proven physically helpful, though that just made her more self-conscious. If her body was pushing her into being the thicker, stronger [warrior], why didn't Ishmere look like that?

Her [Sixth sense] alerted her. It also leveled up, but the living system could wait.

[Sixth Sense lvl 2] > [Sixth Sense lvl 3]

Then she heard movement behind her.

A spider stood there. Massive, almost the size of Tiamael's horse. Pale white, like Ishmere's hair. Its limbs were segmented, twitching and slamming on the ground. It clicked at her, spat on the ground. Venom burned where she had stood a moment ago, and then it went still, watching her.

It turned to her and to where Ishmere's corpse had been.

Rennia the pot lid on the ground grabbed her sword in her left hand and ran like hell.

22 -- The Chase

Rennia sprinted through the woods, trying to match the forest trail she had come from. Ishmere's naked and limp body bounced on her shoulder--surprisingly light and as floppy as cloth. The forest had grown dense since she'd ventured deeper.

Behind her, the monstrous meter-and-a-half spider gave pursuit, its mandibles clattering together and long limbs skittering across the ground as it stalked her. Its body was far too wide to traverse between the trees easily, though its strength allowed it to force its way through. It shrieked as she ran.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" she shouted to the thing behind her, her weapon clasped in her non-dominant hand. It rattled it's mandibles in response.

It spat sticky web balls at her. The splattered spheres decorated the ground in wide swaths of asymmetrical cobwebs. Her skill [Sixth Thread] activated--a funny sensation, like her nerves compelling her to move in a certain direction. Rennia jumped sideways and narrowly missed one large mass of webs. She kept running forward, though her eyes occasionally drifted to Ishmere's body. This was no time for such distractions.

The trees stood several meters away. Marking them had given her a significant advantage, so she seized the opportunity to slip behind one and dash to another. The path ahead was paved, and she was significantly faster than the creature. The tavern wasn't far from here. She might make it to the Ebon Guild in time, but then what--could Ishmere deal with it in her current state, or would she have to hide in the basement?

Rennia burst from the treeline, nearly tripping and dragging the naked Ishmere along with her. She crashed through the tavern's back door, slamming it shut with Ishmere's body in tow, then collapsed to the ground, releasing both her sword and the specter's body.

A bloody blue bruise formed along the sides of the specter's body. She reached out to touch Ishmere's skin, then jumped back in surprise. The spider rammed the tavern wall, one of its spindly limbs jutting through the window. It tapped the ground, and its leg smashed one of the kitchen tables to pieces. Rennia crawled backward, dragging Ishmere's limp body with her.

The actual Ishmere materialized out of nowhere--smoky, with sharp eyes full of irritation.

"What the hell did you bring to my tavern? And look--you bruised my body!"

"I did no such thing! Why didn't you tell me the body was being kept in a fucking spider's cave? It nearly chomped me to death. Can't you do something about it?" Rennia shouted at her.

"What! I can barely exist in this state, and you want me to cast spells!" she rebutted.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do? I can't fight that thing!"

The spider slammed again, and a beam cracked overhead. A chair crashed to the ground, and a protective glyph suddenly surrounded the tavern.

"Why couldn't you lead it somewhere else? I'm tethered to this place. Do you have any idea how long it took to anchor this location? You let that thing touch my tavern and soon it will thrash my wards!"

A piece of rooftop debris threatened to fall from above. Rennia dove over the lifeless body and bore the pain of the falling roof.

"Do something, Ishmere, or it will chomp me to death!"

Ishmere floated like a judge and folded her arms. "This is going to mess me up for days. But fine, if you can't handle a simple beast like this."

Rennia didn't care what it took or what Ishmere was capable of. She wanted to be free of the spider immediately. She couldn't deal with it--it was easily a Silver-level threat, something you'd ask the guards at Kibblestadt to handle, or a large party. This was suicide. She couldn't risk facing it. She shifted toward the basement, dragging the body.

"You don't get it, Rennia. I'm bound by rules and restrictions, much like a djinn. I need you to beg." Ishmere spoke much more calmly now, but crueler too.

"Are you fucking stupid?" Rennia asked, dumbfounded. "What does it matter?"

Ishmere clicked her tongue. "When it comes to magic, intention matters more than power. Specificity and meaning. I need energy, Rennia. Astral projection is a strain. I need you to offer your energy to me. I need you to ask."

The spider's leg smashed through the window. The ward shattered, and blue light splintered into pieces. It stopped, eyes searching for the fleeing adventurer. Rennia gripped her longsword, standing ready to parry its leg, but it didn't strike yet. Its body was halfway stuck through the opening.

"Rennia, just... some humility. Just say please."

Rennia began trembling but didn't forget her fury. She didn't submit this way unless she was psychologically damaged. "You can't be serious."

"Just do it. Make up a chant, anything--please, for both our sakes. I'm sorry I'm such a hardass."

That she was.

She recalled her time with Lyanna, when she often heard Lyanna practice her spells. The intent was always different with Lyanna--it often hinged on how she felt. When Rennia learned to command fire, she didn't care for the complexities. She chose a common phrase and stuck with it, and it worked. This was ritual magic. She would essentially be worshipping Ishmere, which was taboo where she came from. It went against everything she knew.

Rennia gave in, clenching her teeth. "Ishmere, Ishmere, tethered soul of the Ebon Gild, Ishmere, Ishmere, I give you my energy in hopes I'll be spared by your will."

Something changed.

"Atta girl!" The spirit began glowing blue, and Rennia felt the air sucked from her lungs. She dropped to the ground as the sword clattered away and energy seemingly drained from her.

This, wasn't normal. They had barely affirm a spell, she didn't see Ishmere, prepare anything.

Ishmere lifted her hand. There was no fanfare, zero theatrics, no observable spell. Halfway into the tavern, the air distorted and a spark of light burst and bloomed in silence. Reality began to bend and the heavens started shaking. A flash of lightning struck halfway through the room from Ishmere's palms.

The creature convulsed with electricity. The spider howled in pain as its body began jolting. Its head fell first to the ground, then its body.

Green sticky liquid burst from its abdomen, and the acrid, oily smell filled the surroundings. A massive piece of crystalline rock fell from its backside, clattering to the ground.

A [Monster Core], a very big one.

Dust fell everywhere, but the walls stopped shaking. Ishmere turned to Rennia, arms proudly at her sides, the cloudy ghost fog disappearing into thin air. More questions, no energy to ask. The spider normal, she suspected that it had drained off the immortal's life force.

"There. We've preserved my floors, at least." Her arms dropped as she looked around. "Though this is going to cost more than a couple of silver coins, isn't it?"

Silver. She clearly hasn't been around for too long. In her kingdom, silver has become obsolete. Gold coin standard, and inflation was ridiculous.

Rennia, exhausted and drained, stood up. She felt like she'd endured a long day of walking, even though she'd barely traveled five miles in any direction. She felt tired again, but she couldn't sleep--not with the beast's corpse staring at her.

"You couldn't have done that before--"

"No. Spells need mana. Bodies generate mana. Astral projection is maintained by the body. You're speaking to a magical construct, Rennia. If I'm thinking a bit slowly, it's because I'm barely using my head. It's like antenna."

"A what?"

Antenna, Rennia never heard of the word.

"Never mind, all that ends well, ends well I guess."

Rennia fell on her ass against the collapsed support beam, eyes locked on the specter before her. The astral-projected woman hovered over her own body, staring down at herself with cold detachment.

What irked Rennia, though, was the projection's anatomy--specifically, the very real appearance of Ishmere's genitals. Her penis was way smaller in reality. So were her breasts. The ghost version? Everything was exaggerated. Her tits looked bolted on, too perky and round to be natural, and her cock was easily twice the size it should've been.

Not that the ghost looked unattractive. Far from it. It was... cute, actually. Just--

off.

She slapped herself and closed her eyes. This goddess of eros situation was going to be detrimental. She had just engaged in sex, fled from a monster, killed rats, taken a bath, and was already thinking in lustful ways.

She had hoped the living system would reward her for surviving that encounter, but apparently not.

"There you go--your body, as requested. You've taken three things from me, Ishmere: my body, my energy, and my time. You better be worth all the trouble."

Ishmere grinned at her.

"You carried me well, save for the bruise. I hope whatever agreement we form after this will benefit both of us."

Rennia spat on the ground. Her lips were dry, and saliva wasn't nourishment. And she was feeling a bit sick, nauseous and feverish. Perhaps rest would be good.

"This retrieval is complete. Now we're almost done--one more thing."

No.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. More monsters? You want me to delve deeper to find more monsters? What, did you lose your cock ring?"

Ishmere giggled. "Actually, yes, I've lost many. But that isn't the problem. When I astral projected, I bound my connection with a lock--sex magic, to be specific. When this happened, I asked one of the attack survivors to help me with this. That's why I was in that cave--it's a long and complicated story, and I'm hoping you'll be patient enough to wait until we're done here."

"Cut to the chase."

"Long story short, I need you to fuck me."

Rennia nearly fell on her face when Ghost Ishmere spread her own legs open. Her tight, barely parted pussy lips were visible, along with her dormant but appealing cock nearby. Rennia felt her own arousal rising again.

If staying with Ishmere meant a combination of chores, sex, and monsters, then perhaps it wasn't so bad at all or was it. She did want adventure, she lived for that like the heroes of the old.

She wondered what they would think her, disgust perhaps.

???????? 23 -- Pleasing her whims

Rennia was on her knees, legs splayed in opposite directions, hands on the wooden floor, gawking at the astral spirit's shameless obscenity. Ishmere had spread her own legs, her doll-like and dormant body in full view of Rennia.

Magical-imbued light glistened faintly along both Ishmeres but seemed to gravitate around her thighs. Rennia could feel a sense of heat emanating from both. She was left frozen, barely staying upright after the day's ordeal. An erection had formed; she felt her cock twitch below her abdomen, slowly rising.

She was in emotional distress, a cascade of emotions, adrenaline and fatigue, and now renewed excitement. "Say that again?"

"I need you to fuck me. Fuck me good."

Rennia's brain was barely functional and her heart was beating again. It had been much easier when she had let Ishmere fuck her, but then she had felt like she was under a compulsion, a magical spell. She stared down at her forming length in her pants. There was no way she was going to control herself, was there? She just had to do it, she just had to fuck and get it over with.

Ishmere became quiet, her brow starting to raise, almost annoyed. She glowed faintly. There was nothing revolting about the doll body, nothing at all. The tight pussy of the actual Ishmere seemed inviting even. There was an ambient sensation in the room too, a smell and a feeling, like magical lubricant.

It was just that she felt she was stepping over boundaries, like this was the point of no return for whatever was in store for her. So far Ishmere didn't seem all that wise, just powerful. Was this going to be another mistake, like the orchard?

"I feel like what I'm about to do is heretical in a hundred different nations," Rennia freaked. "That's practically a hollow..."

She didn't finish her sentence and Ishmere corrected her, frowning unusually. "It's just that my body is dormant, don't read into it, Rennia. Technically having sex in dungeons is outlawed if done by the wrong participants. It has never stopped a paladin or a battle-nun from playing with wild orcs. Just... play along, would you?"

"My dick's confused, okay? It doesn't know what it wants."

The astral spirit sighed. "Well, then let me make it simple for you. It wants this, it wants an immortal fuckhole, and it's right here. Mine."

Rennia stared at Ishmere's body. She wanted to part those tight, flushed lips and taste what lay hidden inside. They were smooth and damp from the spirit vapor that leaked from the astral spirit body double.

Tight, it had to be tight. She could just stick it in there and get it over with, this aching sensation. What was stopping her? She wanted to know. The dynamic, the fact Ishmere was presenting. Would she be relegated to something less than being taught how to deal with having a penis? Because this was not how to deal with this. This was hot.

Rennia tried distracting herself. She even tried standing up and walking away. It didn't take long for her fingers to be back at her shaft again, slowly stroking.

"Well, why can't you possess a fucking blanket or a pillow and fuck yourself? Why does it have to be me? You have a cock, don't you?"

Ishmere interjected her nonsensical suggestion. "A pillow doesn't have my ass, Rennia. Besides, I need energy, magical energy--yours. My body and spirit were split by a sexually active binding spell. The only way to re-anchor and break the binding is to stick a penis inside and thrust."

Rennia let the image sit and brew in her mind. She imagined an escaping Ishmere, presumably from the tavern and into the strange dark cave, thrust to the ground and fucked by a total stranger.

"I can sense your arousal, Rennia. Much less see it. If your cock is going to be that hard, your mouth should do less jabbering. If you don't want to help me, then just leave. So why are you standing around?"

Rennia threw off the padded and thick gambeson. It hit the floor with a thump. She was sweaty again after the spider's chase. The thing still lay there dormant in the window, and she was going to fuck in front of it. Her boots came off, and then her socks, which had a scent she wouldn't comment on. She stood bare, partly ashamed but sexually ready. Her cock stood at six inches again, but she could feel stretching tears as it got longer.

She approached both Ishmeres, kneeling in front of her dormant body and sitting with eyes looking down at her curves. Astral Ishmere popped away and reappeared on a chair, feet crossed on a table, arms folded.

"You can do what you want."

Rennia glanced at her, cautious. The implications of that were serious, but if she was okay with it...

She got a little curious, naughtily so. She had heard of sex dolls and exotic person-like automatons being sold in the capital cities. This was the closest thing to that, probably. Her hands started moving along the body, slowly. Her fingers traveled along the navel and then slid up to Ishmere's breast. She cupped her breasts. They were warm, smaller than hers, but firm and heavy in her grip. She squeezed it, and her finger brushed over Ishmere's pink nipples, checking if the body responded.

It did.

The specter jolted in the chair, head turning abruptly. Rennia did it again, pinching her nipple. It did work. Ishmere fell through the chair, hovering off the ground. "I'm not a potion bottle, you know. If you're planning on popping me, be gentle."

Rennia rolled her eyes. She was always trying to be snarky or ridiculous. Rennia was just exploring. She tried again, her hands tracing downwards instead to her thighs, tracing skin and brushing Ishmere's thick thighs with her hands.

Rennia nearly jumped. Ishmere twitched, but so did the doll's leg. The nipples grew slightly thick and she swore the temperature of the dormant Ishmere started rising. "I said you could do what you like, but is foreplay necessary?"

Yes. Yes it was. Rennia, possessed by lust and carnal sin, seemed to think so. What was fucking if you got it over with and done? Her fingers slid lower, down her slit. She did end up splitting the lips, then gave Ishmere a quick flick. The dormant and smaller cock of Ishmere stirred, just a minor twitch, like a muscle going off. And her pussy pulsated.

"Oh?" Rennia said.

"Oh, oh, am I some kind of experiment for you? Can't you get it done and over with? I am eager to breathe."

Rennia, curious, gave her clit another tap, harder. And Ishmere's little cock jerked. The spirit inched closer. She was turning more... ghostly, puffy, like she was dissolving. She mumbled something but Rennia couldn't hear. Just the moaning, the faint hovering distorted moans.

Rennia realized the body reacted to the touch of her body and soul. It made her wonder if her body had reacted when Ishmere had railed her from behind, or were they too far apart? Rennia wanted to pretend that she didn't enjoy that experience, but it had been enjoyable. It had elevated her.

Her hand hovered over her own cock, fingers inches away. She started stroking herself slowly. "Fuck it, Ishmere. You made me squirm, I'm going to repay the favor."

Ishmere's voice crackled from around her, thinner and unclear now, barely holding shape and cloudlike. "Then stop teasing and get inside of me, before I lose my sensibilities..."

???????????? 24 -- The Ritual

Rennia, much to Ishmere's chagrin, did not penetrate her. Not yet. She was still curious about touching and tinkering with Ishmere's body before she wanted to end the play. Ishmere wanted this. Ishmere started this. She also caused it.

And Rennia was already halfway there.

Rennia's hand curled around and gripped Ishmere's physical cock. The cloudy specter moaned, slow and with a hint of annoyance. Rennia wouldn't let her off easily, not after her encounter. She started stroking, slowly and indulgently. Her thumb would slip halfway under her balls. Both Ishmeres twitched. The more she interacted with the physical one, the more the other reacted as well. Ishmere, half-lidded puffy eyes flicking between Rennia's hand and her physical self, just watching and observing.

She had stared at a wide-eyed, grinning Rennia, tension thick with awkward but sensual heat. Much to Rennia's disappointment, Ishmere's cock didn't grow. All it did was make the astral Ishmere growl beside her as if she was ready to bite Rennia. Rennia did hasten the pace only to see if she could make the twitching penis turn fully erect. A spectral hand gripped Rennia's. "Come on, don't tease me like this." Indeed, Ishmere's physical cock had started throbbing in Rennia's hand, and veiny grip started settling. A tiny bit of precum left her shaft, leaking onto her hands like it had wanted to come out for years.

The spirit's agitation grew deeper, and Rennia knew to stop. The chills she was feeling at the back of her spine were not a pleasant sensation. She let go of her grip.

"Alright, alright. I get it, let's get it over with."

Ishmere made another grunt akin to "hmmf."

Rennia lined herself up, spreading Ishmere's legs further, bringing her hips to an angle. Her own throbbing heat was wet, but the doll-like Ishmere's wasn't. She would fix that. It did seem to swell with touch. She got all the permission she needed. She just needed to enter inside of her. Rennia pressed her cock inside, slowly, half shakily, her breath heavy as Ishmere's pussy wrapped around her.

"Finally," the astral specter exhaled as Rennia had pressed inside.

The hollow vagina of Ishmere felt cold to Rennia, like a pair of cold flesh. Not like Lyanna's was that night, not like how it could be. She guessed she needed to "warm it up."

"Your cunt is so cold," Rennia whispered to her. The absurdity of the situation dawned on her again, momentary lucidity. Not that she was asleep, just that Rennia remembered just a few days ago she was plucking seeds for a guild, and here she was fucking someone she shouldn't be. Caravans, and dragonborns, and spiders, and ghostly succubi.

Rennia pushed even deeper. It slid a little too smooth, like she was fucking a machine, not a person. It yielded to her but didn't react. Every thrust she put out was met with no resistance or reaction from the physical Ishmere, no audible reaction, just the gasp of the half-dissolving ghost.

Astral Ishmere was moving around. Rennia doubted it was enough.

"This is so weird, so weird," she had said to herself at least three times by now, but it didn't stop her from moving.

Rennia angled herself slightly. She closed her eyes, pressed her hands onto Ishmere's breasts, deep slow thrusts. Deep and slow. She needed to get a feel for her cold walls. They were slick but wholly inert. And she was trying to simulate some kind of connection, life.

After the tenth thrust, something shifted. Her heart started racing when half of Ishmere was staring at her, and the other half gripped her arms instinctively. Her cock started to thicken, or no, there was a tightening. Like her pussy walls had come alive. Spectral Ishmere was nowhere to be seen, but physical Ishmere still lay dormant. Warmth bloomed inward and coated her shaft like a furnace. Ishmere started breathing slowly, breath hitched. Not pleasure, but shock, like her nerves were slowly coming alive. Rennia kept rocking her hips forward and backward, clumsily.

She stopped briefly when the doll-like Ishmere moaned softly and Rennia saw her toes curl. A significant surge of mana flowed through and pulsed violently as she fucked her would-be master. Her pussy continued to tighten, like she was caught inside a burning wall.

Rennia gasped and she broke total rhythm. "Why the fuck are you so tight?" She came, crying with a voice that screamed fear far more than pleasure. She felt her body lock up as she unloaded herself into Ishmere. Hot and thick and messy, she filled the immortal's pussy. She felt her balls empty. Ishmere's pussy clamped down, milking the tip of her cock, pulling and extracting her.

And then came nothing.

"Ishmere?" Rennia didn't pull out. She stayed there waiting with bated breath. Ishmere's body didn't respond, no moan, no more touches or twitches. Only her cock twitched once when Rennia had touched her, curious to see if she was receptive to touch. She was still untethered. She had to be.

"Don't stop," a ghost voice echoed around her ears. More coldness, more goosebumps.

"What, that wasn't enough? I don't think I can."

Rennia didn't stop, after all.

She was emptied out, barely keeping herself stable, but her hips moved again, grinding slow and deep into Ishmere. Every thrust like a small plea. To her, at this point it felt like punishment. More cum leaked, but it didn't seem to be enough. Her thrusts became shallower, and her heat was dying.

"You don't need to finish, Rennia. I need to. Work harder," the echoes of the specter told her.

Rennia shivered. She had nothing left to give. She was inexperienced with a penis, but that didn't matter to Ishmere. She took a heavy breath and then resumed, gripping Ishmere's thighs, pulling her closer, and then pushed herself inside again. The walls clenched, a lot warmer than when they started. Ishmere was alive.

"Nnhh--fuck, wake up already!"

Rennia's arms were shaking, and even as her cock softened, her muscles screamed for her to pull out. She pressed Ishmere halfway to the side, putting her leg over hers, then dragged Ishmere closer with a nasty grunt.

The body gasped, twitching as her cock bounced against Rennia's stomach, stuck partially between two bellies, dancing with a wet slap.

Rennia wrapped her arm around her waist, and then gripped Ishmere's cock hard and relentlessly, her fingers wet and messy. "Come on, for god's sake," she growled at the dormant Ishmere. "Just fucking come already."

Ishmere thrashed, and the overbearing presence of her demon looming over disappeared. The Ishmere in front of her started choking and her back arched, her thighs clenching as her body started seizing up. Rennia felt a surge of mana being shared between the two of them, crackling like static, like her soul was tearing into the fuck doll in front of her.

Then Ishmere screamed, high and breaking, a cry which deafened Rennia's ears as she came. She squirted onto Rennia's cock, and then her body convulsed. Rennia slammed her down and pulled out, rolling away. She had enough.

Ishmere's eyes opened, and for the very first time in a long time, she breathed.

A deep, ragged taste of real air, like she had been underwater for a very long time.

She blinked. Her eyes were clear and her limbs were shaking. Of course they were--it was fucking cold.

"Rennia," her first word, and a whisper.

Rennia startled, inching away a bit. "Holy shit." She had just partaken in something that may as well have been a crime back home, or considered borderline blood magic. Ishmere lay in front of her, alive, still glowing faintly, but physical, touchable. No more ectoplasm and ghostly mist.

She rolled toward Rennia, sweaty and chilled.

The living system greeted Rennia once again.

[Sexual discipline (Passive) Level 2] > [Sexual discipline (Passive) Level 3]

+2 Charisma (Imprint)

[New skill aquired]

[Restorative Union level 1 -- Through intimate physical union, you can channel stabilizing energy into a willing ally. Minor wounds--such as cuts, bruises, and surface trauma--are gradually healed over the course of sexual contact. The deeper the connection, the stronger the effect.]

What? Whaaaaaaat.

"What? Whaaaaaaat."

Rennia touched the empty air. She could hardly believe it. She really had leveled up--not her class, maybe, but her skills. And not just from erotic teasing, but from sex. Actual sex. Charisma? That was strange enough. Imprint. She didn't even know what that meant. And Restorative Union? That was weirder. She could heal people--by fucking them. She wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse.

... Did that apply to men, too?

Wait. No. Kill that thought.

Kill that thought.

Although, some had nice asses.

"I don't even know where to put my hands now."

"You can put them wherever. However, as your soon-to-be master, I have one more request."

"Really? Really?" Rennia wasn't surprised at this point, just disappointed. The elation she got from getting stronger, dissipated.

Then a horrid sound made her scramble for her sword. The sound was loud enough to rumble the building. It came from Ishmere's stomach of all things. Rennia let her chest sink. Ishmere made a moronic noise. "Rennia, I'm hungry."

25 -- Corporeal

Ishmere

Ishmere woke from her slumber, and not pleasantly. No, waking from her slumber was the last thing she wanted to do, but she was dragged awake. She didn't wake up on a bed but in empty space. She was inside a room, and not just any room--her room. It was darker than the night, lightless and completely silent, not a single particle making noise. Even as she walked around it, she found that her footsteps made no sound, but she could see ripples in the dark where she had walked.

She heard something clink behind her, and a mirror popped into place. Much like her body, she could see reflective light off it, and yet it was clear in all its shape, its color flat. A mirror in the dark, something to avoid, or run from--but no. She approached it.

She stood in front of it for what felt like an eternity. There was something there, something like her shape, but no face. It was featureless, completely wrong. It felt hollow. She tried touching the glass, but her hands would shiver and vibrate when she got close.

It cracked, and a long misshapen streak started tearing through it, and then another crack and one more. Sudden extreme cold chilled her, coming from the mirror. She pulled her hands away and took a step back as the mirror started collapsing into shards.

The thing that represented her was gone, and total darkness stared back at her--an abyss. Faces started popping up: familiar faces, family members from two lifetimes, some were victims of people she had killed, others were lovers she had abandoned and people she had betrayed--and was that a child? No, her child. The child moved, her little hand pushing out of the mirror. Ishmere stood cold and tranquil. The child's hands reached for her face. Ishmere didn't scream, yet she shivered on the inside. She just stared at the small thing touching her.

She did not remember this child, but she knew it was hers. She knew. The faces in the background didn't move; they kept looking at her, not in outrage or accusation but in blankness, futility.

A sharp, piercing object ruptured through her insides. Ishmere gasped, breathless and in shock. A blade pierced her stomach, impaling her. Blood gushed out of her mouth and the child recoiled. She turned her back, and someone stood there--someone familiar, someone she trusted, smiling at her.

***

Ishmere lurched from the bed, shouting and thrashing. She was wet with sweat, gasping for air, hand on her stomach. She lifted her nightgown, placing her hand where the blade had impaled her. It was closed; there was no hole, no gushing blood. It was just a dream and she--she, Ishmere, an immortal--was alive. Alive and well.

She didn't hover or wander; she was tangible, and she was hungry--again.

The door to the tavern bedroom was kicked open. A girl with pitch-black obsidian hair stood in front of her, wearing a dark frock and pink slippers. A broom was held in her hand, gripped like it was a spear, ready to kill. And she was pointing it at Ishmere.

"Why the fuck are you screaming bloody murder? I thought someone bent you over a barrel!"

Ishmere's eyes took some time to adjust--she hadn't been looking through physical eyeballs in a couple of years. Had she hidden behind the state of being a spirit, she'd be a bit more comfortable. But as it was, she was slightly shy and ashamed of her behavior. She had coerced Rennia into doing the deed twice. The first time had been because she had used her magic to egg her on. The second was partial manipulation, part playing to the chessboard.

Ishmere giggled. Rennia was cute, much like Ilna was once. And she was well built--built to serve her, if she was a megalomaniac, which she wasn't. She wondered why Ilna had abandoned her. But perhaps it was time for a change in personality.

"What in the hells are you giggling about? Is this another one of your weird quirks?"

Ishmere nearly choked. Was she referring to the fact that Ishmere was indeed a clinical nymphomaniac? But she wasn't about to tell Rennia that--it would chase her away. "Apologies, I had a nightmare. Haven't had one in--"

"In years, okay, I get it. But there's no need to give me a heart attack. I've had like five yesterday--at least let me rest in peace." Rennia dangled the heel of her slipper. Ishmere could see that she felt awkward or that she was being thrust into an awkward situation. She didn't blame the girl if she resented her. But they had a short term, unofficial, mutually agreed arrangement, at least for a few days.

"I'm really sorry. It's just so strange being alive again, you know? And not wandering and stuff."

"And not fucking goblins and passersby to maintain your connection to the world, yeah, I get it. Totally relatable stuff." Rennia let her broom fall to the ground and then stared at her, arms crossed, eyebrows raised, and silent annoyance on her face. "So what do I call you? Lady Ishmere, boss lady, 'master,' or Matron?"

Ishmere shook her head. "Goddess no, Ishmere is fine. Even if you decide take on a position as a 'student' or my 'companion.'" She sighed. Maybe this arrangement was going to take a lot more work than she hoped. Then there was the fact, that she was still leading Rennia on--the real arrangement has yet to be binded by magic. "Just call me Ishmere, or master if you really want."

Rennia looked away. There was a hollowness in her eyes. If everything she had told Ishmere had been true, then the world she grew up in had abandoned her. And she was practically the only one left, in a sense, or the last thing tethered to her. But there was opportunity in that. If she was going to reach the heights of her ambition, like her last two attempts, she'd need someone loyal, subservient, and trusting.

Rennia was a godsend, and she wouldn't squander any moment of it. But now wasn't the time for that--at least not for a short while. She needed rest, and soon she needed power.

Ishmere's stomach growled, horribly so.

It pained, even, like her body was reminding her that she shouldn't even have survived that long in a preserved body. It was only thanks to the ambient mana that her body reproduced that she survived. The spider likely used her body to milk mana, to sustain itself. Though, it would've been quite the sight to see.

"Rennia?"

Rennia, who was ready to leave her to her misery, turned. "Yes, my 'master'?"

"I'm starving," she pleaded, making sure to make her eyes grow larger than they humanly should, a little bit of magic for sparkling and glossy bits, and the whole affair would be settled.

Rennia tried looking away with a scowl. She scrunched up her nose. "Well, don't make faces like that. There isn't a lot to eat. I have some rations my mother packed for me, and some foraged plants me and Tiamael picked up on the road. So there isn't much."

Tiamael--yes, another one of her former companions and "students" for that matter. Another one that abandoned her after years of separation, not even a hello or thank you. Why did they all abandon her again? She couldn't remember. Selective amnesia, was a bitch. Maybe she was the problem. Something had happened that caused the split, and it wasn't the fact that the kingdom blessed Ilna. It was something else, something personal.

"Are you listening to me?" Rennia asked her.

Wilting her out of her own madness.

Ishmere nodded. "Yeah, sorry, my brain's not functioning. You said something about steak?"

"Steak? No steak. At best I can roast some eggs over the fire, mash some roots and tubers, maybe some flatbread, if you give me half an hour. Not to mention, it's pretty conservative meal. If we're going to be eating tonight."

Now that wouldn't do. Not for long anyway. This place used to serve hearty meals, but of course all the stored food either burnt or got rotten to the core.

"Hmm, okay."

She didn't have much of a choice. Rennia was packed for survival, not comfort. They'd need to head into the city immediately. She did have that stash of money for emergencies underground--here's hoping inflation didn't fuck them over. Money has never worked out for her, even as a centennial. Inflation, taxes, interest rates--it was rigged game.

"Okay? Okay? Okay then, I'll be leaving you alone for a while now. Just stop with the whining."

Rennia shut the door.

And Ishmere worked her jaw--she had so much work to do, and so very little patience.