Epic Levels - Ch. 03

Chapter 03 //Terrafirma Taxonomy

Felidae, as the literature insists, are not cats. In most civilized spaces it is frowned upon to refer to them as such. It is true they share limited physical similarities: their pointed ears capable of articulation; their long tails used for balance; the soft fur that covers these parts. Their tiny size is also coincidentally near that of a domesticated cat standing on its hind legs.

But apart from these features their bearing is most similar to that of humans, and ancient genealogical studies confirm the races are derived from a common ancestor. Felidaes are far closer to humans than to gnomes or faeries, races also commonly known for their tiny size. Felidae are also rare among the sapient species of Terrafirma in that they are able to crossbreed with humans -- requiring the dedication to match little parts with big ones -- and romantic relationships between these races are often known to develop.

Felidae are usually hairless apart from their heads, tails, and genitals. They have human-style hands and toes, which lack cat-like claws.

They are not known to climb trees.

Zil was climbing a tree.

She ascended quickly, fear making her forget the near-impossibility of what she was doing. She had never climbed anything except a ladder, had never conceived she could haul herself up raw bark without even a hint of a hand-hold, but what other option was there? The edge of the forest was miles from here. And those shadows were all around, murmuring excitedly as they rushed toward her.

She was up to the first branch, ten feet off the ground, before the cottage door banged open. Zil curled into a ball, put the tree against her back, and prayed the blue-haired woman wouldn't see her in the dark.

The forest had gone completely quiet. The shadows had stopped whispering; there was no wind. In the sudden stillness, Zil's heart sounded as loud as a bass drum.

Crunch. Crunch. The sound of a woman's bare feet in dry grass. Snap. A twig breaking underfoot.

Zil prayed. But the only Goddess who would answer her prayers was unconscious. The witch had done something to her. Zil had to fight back, to rescue Rowena, but she was frozen with fear, and....

"What's your name, sweetie?"

The woman's glowing red eyes were staring up at her. The witch was still naked, though this didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. The axe Rowena had used to fell the tree was balanced upon her shoulder.

Zil said nothing. She looked around, trying to decide if she could jump to another branch, or perhaps sprint to the cottage ahead of the woman, revive her Goddess--

"Things can go one of two ways between us," the woman drawled. "Tell me your name -- please. If you don't, I'll just have to cut down that tree."

"Ha!" Zil said, forcing daring she didn't feel into her voice. "As scrawny as you are, I bet you can't even handle that axe properly. Even if you can, it would take a human like you an hour to chop down this tree. By then Goddess will be awake!"

Taunting a witch was a terrible idea -- Zil knew it even as the words passed her lips. Her nimble mind had conceived a plan, and it relied on making the woman angry. Angry people did stupid things. They made mistakes. That was her only chance against such a powerful opponent.

But the witch didn't seem angry. She merely sighed, and came to stand at the base of a different tree -- the one closest to Zil's. It was the largest tree in this small grouping, much larger than the one Rowena had felled. The woman held up the axe as though she was an actress in a play, making sure Zil was watching. Abruptly she turned, and swung one-handed.

There was a horrible ripping noise, a rising cloud of sawdust, the sound of startled birds taking flight. The tree swayed, cracked, and began to fall. Zil watched, wide-eyed. It hadn't been as though the woman was using an axe at all -- for the damage she'd caused, she might as well have hit the tree with a boulder from a catapult. And there was no way she could've done that with such a weapon. The axe should've shattered in her hand.

The ground shook as the tree crashed to the ground, leaving behind a jagged, spear-pointed stump. The woman smirked, and pet the rusted axe head with her fingertip. "So. Gonna tell me your name, cutie-pie?"

"I'll... I'll jump if you try to cut my tree!" Zil said, knowing this was stupid. "I'll run into the forest. You and your shadows won't find me."

"Yeah, and you probably could get away. But if you did that I'd get real spiteful, and instead of chopping trees I'd chop your Mistress. Sure would be easy, what with her little sex nap...."

"Don't hurt Rowena!"

As easily as she'd climbed up, Zil scrambled back down the tree. She hopped off a foot from the ground, and stood staring up at the blue-haired demon. She tried to put on a brave face, to think of a way to save Rowena, but fear was choking the breath from her lungs.

***

"W-what do you want from me and my Goddess? Why are you doing this?"

The woman strolled closer, not stopping until her kneecap was almost pressing to Zil's lips, her naked blue-trimmed bush high above Zil's head. "We're still on names. What's yours, kitten?"

"Zil," said Zil. "A-and don't ever imply that a felidae is a cat! It's offensive!"

"Oops, my bad, I didn't know. Here's a little make-good gesture -- I'll get rid of the set dressing." The shadows had gathered around, and seemed to be gawking. The woman waved her hand, and they blew away like smoke on the breeze. "Anyway my name is Lilith. Pleased ta meetcha."

"Charmed." Zil swallowed. "Pardon me if this is impolite, but considering you might kill me at any moment, I want to know if I was right about something. Can I try to guess what kind of monster you are?"

"Heh. Shoot."

"Um, thanks. Well at first I thought you might be a witch, from all the bread crumbs you were leaving in that direction."

The woman drummed her nails on the axe head. "I was laying it on pretty thick, huh?"

"Also you can summon shadows, and you cast a spell on my Goddess. But witches aren't supposed to be physically strong, so that trick with the tree doesn't fit. You're not a champion like Rowena -- you're too short. You might be a shapeshifter, a lich, or a dragon in human form, but based on what I've read, none of those quite fit."

Lilith laughed. "Yeah. I thought you might be the brains of this outfit."

"My best guess is that you're some kind of high-ranking lust demon, a Succubus Queen or something like that. Am I close?"

"Oo, Succubus Queen! That's got a nice feel to it. I'll admit I've been called a demon more than once, usually by my exes, but no your first instinct was right. I'm a witch. Not the sort you're used to meeting in this dimension, but as witches go I'm pretty powerful, not to toot my own horn."

Zil muttered something under her breath.

Cold metal stroked almost lovingly across the felidae's throat -- the flat of the axe. "Care to repeat that, munchkin?"

"I said. That there's no way you're as powerful as Goddess. You only beat her because you took her by surprise."

"Hah! Sweetie, I'm sorry to break it to you, but your Mistress isn't very strong. She--"

"Goddess!" Zil shouted. "She's not my Mistress, she's my Goddess! And you're wrong! She's the most powerful person I've ever met! Even among the other champions, she towers over all of them by head and shoulders!"

The woman abruptly knelt down, bending until her long blue locks were falling into Zil's face. To her surprise the witch was smiling kindly. And the scent of her body was decidedly pleasant when she was this close -- especially because she still smelled of Rowena.

When Lilith spoke, her voice was gentle. "I made the same mistake as you, sweetie. I got all fixated on her size. It's true she's taller than most champions. Better hung for sure, and 'stronger' in the sense that she's got big muscles. But as for actual power? She's pretty low on the totem pole. Like she's only level forty-four, super not impressive for how long she's been playing. And when you consider the whole champion class is just DLC, pay-to-win bullshit, she's actually kind of pathetic. Your girl's basically the video game equivalent of a nepo baby."

Zil shook her head, trying to clear it. "I read somewhere that witches tend to go insane over time. I guess it's true. Level forty-four? Nepo baby? What in the name of all the Great Gods Above are you talking about?"

"Do you honestly not know?" Lilith grinned wider, her face filling Zil's vision. "It's how your entire world functions! Have you seriously missed that every adult in your world has a class, and a level, and that they gain experience?"

"You mean they have jobs, and they get better the more they do them?" Zil scoffed. "Is that not how it works where you come from?"

"Okay fair point, I'll give you that one." Lilith thought for a moment. "Here's a weird question. Have you ever noticed your boss in there like, getting bigger? Taller I mean, and maybe her dick and muscles growing along with her?"

"I mean, yeah. But everyone knows Gods and Goddesses grow over time."

"Sure," Lilith said, booping her on the nose. "But that's not something that should happen just because you're good at your job. And she doesn't grow when she's fighting a bear or whatever -- it happens when she's fucking. Right after she's done fucking, right?"

"The literature is extremely vague on that point. No scholar would dare put that idea down in writing. I mean...." Zil scowled. "Yes, you're right. I've been reading everything I could on champions for years, and watching Rowena closely, and I only recently discovered the trigger of her growth. Okay, Miss Lilith. You've got my attention."

"Good. So. Want me to tell you why fucking makes her grow? And how to make her grow even faster?"

Zil bit her lip. She nodded.

***

Lilith leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a seductive whisper. "Simply put: growing and getting stronger is what happens when champions level up. I guess people in your world call them Gods and Goddesses, and given how big and sexy they are, I get why. But it's totally a try-hard class choice, meant for people who don't want a challenge. It makes the game too easy."

"The game?"

"It's how I've been thinking about your dimension. The laws of physics here basically make your world one giant video game, and I came here because I wanted to play it. But don't get all existential about it. You're flesh and blood, not bits and bytes."

"Bites?" Zil experimentally snapped her teeth.

"Don't worry. The point, Zil, is that everyone in your world can only improve by doing certain actions, depending on their class. Compare that to my world, where we have things called 'exercise' and 'practice.' Do you even know those words?"

Zil bristled. "Of course, I'm not stupid! They're legal concepts. You exercise your rights, and a lawyer has a practice."

"Okay, cutie. Anyway. Everyone in your world levels up by doing things related to their class. The harder the challenge you face, the more experience you gain, and the more you level up. Champions like Rowena level up in two ways. They get stronger by completing quests. But they grow when they fuck. Being big is a superficial sort of power, though I'll admit it has its uses. Considering your Goddess is real big but not very strong, I'd guess she's been doing a lot of very easy quests then convincing some pretty skilled people to fuck her. Am I right?"

"I mean... Goddess is planning to go the city now, and there will be harder quests when we get there but... um... yes I suppose you're right. Rowena spends a lot of time in small backwater villages. And she tends to put most of her attention toward her, ah, carnal rewards, rather than the quests themselves."

"By carnal rewards you mean fucking?" Lilith winked. "Yeah. So if you want her to grow a lot, just help her have good sex with the highest-level people she can. Turns out it's gotta be sex given as a reward for completing a quest, guess it would be broken if champions could just fuck in the streets and grow all feedback loop-style but, yeah, that's pretty much all there is to it."

It was a mystery that had fascinated Zil for months -- and Lilith had so casually given her the solution. The idea had so many implications. She blurted out her next question without considering the consequences. "If better sex means more growth, then how come Rowena didn't grow when she fucked you just now? Are you bad at sex?"

Zil clamped both hands over her mouth, instantly embarrassed at her own audacity. But Lilith was already laughing, a deep, melodious chuckle that set her overlarge breasts to bouncing. Zil almost gave in to an impulse to reach out and touch them.

"No, it's 'cause I'm not from your world, munchkin. I don't fit in this game. I only stopped by to have a little fun. I asked to visit a world that's as close to a medieval fantasy RPG as the multiverse will allow. I also wanted to get thrown around by a giant muscle-girl with a dick, and to cum my brains out. I only got two out of three of those wishes -- your 'Goddess' is a little over-confident in the sack." An evil smile bloomed across Lilith's face. "But as for orgasms? I'm playing out a hunch that I'm looking at the last part of my wish right now."

Zil felt hot blood rushing to her cheeks. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

The witch slid forward, her movements silky and seductive. She lay herself fully on the ground, propping her chin on her elbows, smirking at Zil. Even lying down, Lilith was still taller than her.

"Would you like me to tell you your class, Zil?" the woman purred. "And your level? Have you ever wondered?"

"I... I know it already. I'm a maid!"

Lilith slowly reached out, and began to trace a giant fingernail down the length of Zil's arm. Zil's eyes went wide; the fur on her ears stood on end.

"That's right," Lilith whispered. "You're a maid. A life bound in service. Not prestigious by any means, but your class has many advantages. You're also higher level than your Goddess. By a lot. Did you know that?"

Zil whimpered as Lilith's finger brushed the base of her throat. Her tail flicked in agitation.

"Aw, you didn't know. Honestly, Zil, you're one of the highest-level people I've met. So maids like you gain experience from acts of service. Cooking, cleaning. Being devoted to those in their care. And they get a huge amount of experience from praise. Zil? Empirically, by the numbers? You are such a good girl."

Zil swooned. An unexpected deluge of pleasure nearly swept her off her feet. If not for Lilith's support, she might have fallen.

The witch giggled. "See? You're conditioned to love hearing things like that, even if you can't gain experience from me. But given your level, your Mistress must praise you all the time."

"She's my Goddess," Zil corrected, her voice less than a breath. "Not my Mistress. But. No. Rowena hardly ever praises me. It's for my own good. It gives me motivation to work harder for her approval."

Lilith paused for a beat. Zil could clearly sense that something she said had displeased the larger woman. But before Zil could apologize, Lilith was speaking again.

"Well, one thing's for sure. She never would have grown so big or gotten so powerful without your help. But Zil? You have powers of your own. Here. I'll show you."

Lilith reached out, and took Zil's tiny hand by the wrist. She helped her open it, then pressed her gigantic finger into the center of Zil's palm. She began to caress.

Zil moaned once before she could bite back the sound. She blushed brightly.

Lilith smirked, and went on in a whisper. "Maids have exceptional manual dexterity. In practice means they have very sensitive hands. They're good with thread and rope, and they can fill in for parties that don't have a rogue -- picking locks and disarming traps, that sort of thing. These fingers of yours are tiny, but powerful."

The woman closed her giant hand, completely encompassing Zil's smaller one halfway to her elbow. She pulled gently, urging Zil forward. Zil went... and stepped face-first into Lilith's lips. She could feel the large woman smiling into the kiss, her wet lips completely surrounded Zil's. The felidae's whole body shook.

Lilith's lips trailed down Zil's cheeks, following the line of her little neck before traveling upward again. Zil nearly lost it. This was happening so fast, and it felt like a fantasy from the best dream of her life. The witch clearly understood what she was feeling. She laughed gently, then breathed hot words into Zil's ear.

"These adorable ears of yours...."

The witch had to wait as Zil spasmed with pleasure.

"These ears," Lilith repeated. "Are even more sensitive than your hands. I don't just mean I can make you into a happy little puddle by whispering to you like this, though clearly I can. I also mean your sense of hearing is incredible -- all the better to hear the commands of your Goddess. Your sense of sight? At your level, I bet you could identify a bird from halfway across the forest, or tell if your Goddess had a missing button or a stitch out of place. You have well-developed taste, for checking for poisons. And your sense of smell...."

Lilith paused long enough to wrap her lips around the tip of Zil's ear, to nibble oh-so-gently. There was something warm beneath Zil's belly button that was growing in strength and urgency. It felt like if Lilith kept on playing with her ears, it was going to burst forward in an ever so pleasant way.

To her disappointment, Lilith stopped before that could happen. "Speaking of smell. What do I smell like? Go on. Take a good whiff of me."

Zil obeyed, her every sense keyed to the maximum. She had never felt this way around another person. Rowena turned her on to no end, and she would've given everything about herself to be with the woman. But Rowena had never once returned her affections, while Lilith was clearly very much interested in her. There was something exciting, almost dangerous, about receiving this manner of attention from someone she'd just met.

"You smell like smoke," Zil said, closing her eyes. "Wood smoke, from when you built that fire in the cabin I'd wager. And there's perfume, an expensive kind I think. You've been working hard today, your body smells like sweat. It's... really good."

The witch kissed her again. Zil returned it this time -- a little. "What else?"

Zil hesitated for a long time over the next part. "I know what it smells like when someone is... aroused. I've cleaned so much of Rowena's cum in my life. Off her thighs, and shaft, and belly. And I've cleaned the cum of others off her, too. Hundreds of men. At least as many women."

"It's a little different, smelling it fresh -- and knowing someone smells turned on because of you."

Zil nodded hard.

Lilith's lips curled back into a lupine smile. "My sense of smell is pretty sharp, too. And may I say, you smell absolutely delicious when you're turned on. I bet you taste sweet, like a pink little candy. But there's still one last thing you're missing. A smell I'm quite sure you can identify. You might have to get a little closer."

The witch slowly reached for her. Zil didn't pull away. She stood still, and allowed herself to be undressed. The witch undid the simple tie of her black and white maid's dress, slipped her skirt down her ankles, patiently removed her shoes. Zil watched, her eyes wide, her pulse hot in her throat. Once she was naked, the witch lifted her and moved her where she wanted. As the larger woman sat back on the ground, the little felidae found herself standing between Lilith's widely spread legs.

Apart from Rowena's and her own, Lilith's was the only set of genitalia she'd ever seen up close. The woman was worthy to be carved out of marble. The exquisite muscularity of her sex, the precisely trimmed blue triangle of her pubic hair, the almost shy glint of moonlight reflecting from the single droplet that clung to her labia. And with the woman four times her height, all these details were laid out as a feast for Zil's sharp eyes. It made her mouth water. It made her want to find a brush and canvas and attempt to immortalize her beauty, made her--

"Zil," Lilith prompted.

"Yes, sorry, what?"

The witch shook her head indulgently. "There's one more scent I want you to identify. Come here. Get that little nose of yours in real nice and close."

Zil dropped to her knees, and crawled reverently toward the woman. She paused when she was close enough to tickle her chin in the woman's curly blue muff. She sniffed....

And gasped.

"Goddess!" Zil cried. "Rowena, she... she came inside you! Her cum is still there!"

"Uh-huh." Lilith stroked Zil's pink hair appreciatively. "You've cleaned gallons of Rowena's cum in your life. Something tells me you've never once tasted her. And something also tells me you've wished for it, for a long time, long time. In addition to being a witch, I'm apparently your genie. Go on, Zil. Eat me out."