The healing armament had scarcely left my lips before the flashing daggers at her fingers ripped a chunk of the automaton’s Life away. So I added a second. Then a third.
The sudden onrush of so much healing energy and the raw pleasure that came with it made her stumble just long enough for the golem to escape. But my spells had cost it dearly. Woozy from the drainage, the wooden man careened into the wall. Its whirling fists thundered against the stone only a scant handful of times before snapping against the seemingly implacable structure.
Arx was on it in a second, her eyes gone mad with rapturous sexual climax and the lust for battle. Over and over, I armed her claws. Over and over, they carved furrows through exposed wood. Life surged from automaton to lilim, transforming along the way into regenerative power and wild, mind-breaking pleasure.
The golem fought valiantly with what remained of its shattered arms, but it was a pointless effort. Arx did not even bother to dodge. She was so crazed from my spells, anything beyond pressing her attack went unheeded. The golem battered her against the wall, crushed her arms, broke her teeth. It did not matter. Each time, the roaring power in her veins snapped her body into place, and she would launch herself back into the fray, her claws a frenzied blur.
And behind her, there was me. Shouting the Words to Renewal of Consumption on repeat, like the terrible yet exquisite mantra it was.
Then, abruptly and without warning, she collapsed mid-swing. It was as though her string had been cut. One moment, she had been attacking with abandon, and the next, she was on the floor. Tracers of steam escaped her quivering body like a venting pressure cooker.
The pill had run its course. Its gifts of ferocity and speed had gone. All that remained were the many, many echoes of bone-melting pleasure. She was at the mercy of the golem.
Yet the automaton did not attack. It merely stood there, rocking back and forth unsteadily. It too was all but finished. Its wooden shell was in splinters. Its arms barely worked anymore. If the pill had lasted a few seconds longer, she would have drained it completely.
For a moment, the battlefield teetered in a tenuous equilibrium. I had no idea what I could do next. Lynnria was still struggling to stand. Arx was a mess. The golem was on its last legs but still extremely dangerous to a little support mage like me. And of course, the final wave of destruction before we were all crushed to death was now crescendoing toward us.
Perhaps it was that none-too-gentle reminder that broke the peace. Our foe could no longer escape its own demise so, like the monster it was, it decided it would take at least one of us down with it.
Before I realized what was happening, it had scooped Arx into one of its arms and began stumbling toward the labyrinth’s ultimate embrace.
“No!” I shouted.
Frantically, I grabbed onto one of my lilim’s legs, trying to jerk her free, only to be met by a splintered elbow. The blow—much weakened though it was—was still sufficient to steal my breath and send me sliding down the wall. When it got to Lynnria, it paused to look down at her for a moment before delivering a vicious kick to the downed girl’s ribs.
Then it continued its halting march forward to be claimed by the stone. A block the size of a school bus crushed them both.
I sat there in shocked horror, barely even conscious of the burning in my lungs. For a few moments, I refused to believe it. We had been winning. For the first time in who knew how long, we had actually been winning! And then… at the final second…
Tears streaked down my chin, unheeded. We had failed. After all that. All that suffering. The pain. The struggle. The long run through the dark. Arx was dead. Again. There was no way she could have survived that, even with the regenerative power in her. It would have been instant. My feeble attempts at rescue had been flattened under implacable rock.
But the maze did not care. It simply kept collapsing in ever widening circles. Lynnria and I were directly beneath the very next one, and from the way she was now clutching her ribs, I doubted she would be getting far. The golem had made certain of that.
As for myself, I still had some Life in me, but not so much as to heal her properly. The effort would floor me. And escape by myself? No. I could never leave her behind, and even if I could have borne the guilt of it, there were four paths ahead of me. Only one led to freedom. I knew it in my gut.
My ears began to ring. Jumbled, incoherent plans vied with worse ones in a fog of indecision and despair. But then finally, the burning in my lungs became too great, and I sucked in a breath. With it came a new clarity of mind. I had forgotten something. Something critical.
Long ago—or so it seemed, it had only been a few weeks—my Class had evolved. With it had come a strange little ability. Some might think it a trump card, but it was not something I would ever consider using unless my back was quite literally up against the wall.
Once per day, I could sacrifice my remaining Life Energy pool to revive a single lilim.
I swallowed as resolve settled in my gut. I could not believe I was actually considering this. That little phrase: remaining Life Energy pool. The implications chilled me to the bone.
Well… we’re hosed either way. Might as well. Okay. How do I actually go about using this—?
Scarcely had the decision been made than a series Words arose from within me. I did not know where they came from. Like the binding ritual, they did not exist within my mind. They Spoke themselves into existence through the medium of my own lips, but it had not been my Will that brought them forth.
They were four in total. Only the four. But they were powerful, heavy things. They hovered in the air for a moment, ethereal yet solid. As if gathering their power. Then there came the light.
Real light. Like the sun. Blinding in its intensity.
Suddenly, my Core ripped open, and—
*****
I opened my eyes… to darkness.
Several precious seconds ticked away while I reoriented myself. I was standing. For some reason. My heart was beating away, strong as ever. I felt hale and completely uninjured, which was an unexpected but no less welcome development. Things were relatively quiet, save the rumbling in the far distance… and the sounds of someone sobbing nearby.
I turned toward the noise only to become immediately distracted by the unnatural swaying at my chest. I blinked a few times and shook my head. For a moment, I cupped my breasts with one arm. I was still a little unused to them being so large, but they had not grown again that I could tell. Sadly.
So why…?
I shook my head again. The last thing I remembered had been sinking my claws into that ‘stit-sucking golem. Then things had gotten… really nice. But fuzzy.
Might have gotten a little carried away there.
So what had happened? And where was the master?
I scented at the air curiously before realizing I could sense him perfectly well—actually maybe a little too well. But that was not important. The connection had opened!
Elated beyond measure, I scurried forward to hold him in my arms, but he was completely out of it. Limp as a doll. And cold to the touch.
“Master?” I called, growing concerned. “My Dearest?”
“Who—?!” a voice shouted in alarm, only to immediately succumb to a hacking cough.
“Who do you think, pet?”
The girl wheezed for a few moments, catching her breath. I could sense disbelief. Confusion. Lots of fear. “Arx? How? You… you died! I saw you die!”
I sniffed dismissively. Me die? Nonsense. I could never die. Not truly. “What happened? Why is Donum so cold?”
“I—I don’t… he cast some kind of spell and… I don’t know. There was this light, and then… then everything went dark and he… he…”
The master’s little plaything ran out of steam for a bit. Her emotions were fluctuating wildly, too fast for me to make sense of. But there was also a raspy sort of crackling in her voice.
Punctured lung? Strange. When had that happened? She had not directly entered the fight that I could recall. But the golem was nowhere around. I could sense that easily enough. Must have run off. Shame. The Gem that thing would have dropped…
“I think he might be dead,” the girl finished finally, cutting into my thoughts. “We need to get… get out of here.”
My lips curled over my fangs. How dare she? The gall! To suggest leaving him? And with her? Ha! I would sooner light her on fire just to piss on her than—
A wave of dizziness briefly overcame me, scattering the thought. No… no, we mustn’t do that.
I growled softly, anyway. If she were to suggest such a thing again, I would not let her off so lightly.
“He’s not dead. I would know,” I informed her. I felt the surge of hope at my words, but I did not much care. She was only a pet.
Even so, the master was not in a good way. Again.
Worse, all the precious Lust I had been saving had vanished. I was barely even horny! Hmm… maybe a bit more than that.
I was always a little wet, after all. For him. ‘Snails, the last few hours had been absolute torture! To feel so much without the satisfaction of having him between my legs? Augh!
My pussy came alive at the thought, itching—begging to be touched. Filled and stretched to the brim!
And a wave of dysphoria came with it.
I rubbed at my eyes. Something was very… off. But the master needed Life. That much I was sure of.
Hastily, I reached for myself only to be met by that ridiculous skirt. I honestly did not know why I was still bothering with the garment. It was completely useless and only ever got in the way.
However, it was a piddling task to hook a claw through the drawstring and discard it. I would enjoy the master’s surprise and embarrassment when he found out. And his private thrill at my daring.
But when I ran a finger through my folds, a chill ran up my spine. That had felt… unusual. Wonderful, of course. But… strange. Almost unfamiliar. But how could that be? I had toyed with myself often enough to know its every contour. Even in this new body.
Distracted, I pressed the moistened finger to his lips but, while pleased by his unconscious suckling, I was no less bothered. What was going on with me?
“That’s… he’s going to be alright then?” the girl asked, cutting into my thoughts.
I sighed. It was perfectly obvious that the master needed to again sup upon my well of Life. But it was equally obvious that whatever seed he had planted within her had yet to bear fruit. She would have to be blind not to sense his need.
“Yes,” I replied shortly. Then, softening slightly from the alternating waves of hope and despair radiating off the girl, I added, “Eventually.”
My back arched slightly as my finger again sought out the precious liquid within me. By the master’s gaze… why did that feel so good? It was almost like he was watching me.
Feeling what I felt.
I quirked an eyebrow at the thought, intrigued. The connection was so very, very open right now. What if…?
I tickled his nose with my glistening claw, smiling now. Can you smell that, my Dearest? The tips of my breasts began to dimple and twist, and I ran a hand over them idly. Can you see me? Or is it more?
“Good,” the master’s pet sighed with relief.
I snarled at the interruption. Idiot, blind girl!
“But we still need to get out of here!” she continued. “The bricks will smash us to pieces if we don’t.”
For half a moment, I did not answer, preferring to instead allow the master to absorb what he could from my finger. I was not quite so full as the last time I had done this, so my gift had probably weakened. Even so, I could sense a bit of warmth returning to his cheeks.
She was right. I was helping, but it was not so fast as to wake him before the maze collapsed on us. I could hear it encroaching even now. But I would not give her the satisfaction of admitting it.
“You don’t say,” I replied coldly.
As quick as I could, I rolled the master’s limp form over my shoulders. Then I hesitated. The girl was in terrible shape. I had little doubt my Dearest could eventually nurse her back to health given time and resources, but we had precious little of those. And with the maze bearing down on us…
…no…
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes, I know,” I said into the empty air.
“What?”
“Nothing. Come on. Let’s get you up.”
With that, I led us on, idly humming some tune from a distant memory. A woman had sung it to me once as I lay sleeping. I had not thought of her in quite some time, but it did not much matter anymore. She was long dead. And I had a new Clan.
Besides, I would much rather think about—
“Oop!” I paused as a thrill ran up my spine. Slightly to the left and… “This way.”
Seleroan
Hey folks!
I've got merch! That's right, about a month ago, I hired an artist to do some character portraits, and I figured, 'What better way to use them, than letting you guys buy your favorite girl. As a mug!'
Yeah... what can I say? I like coffee.
Anyway, here's the store:
https://the-quest-of-words-merch.printify.me/products
Currently, it only ships to the US. Can't seem to figure out why. Nothing on the webpage mentions that. But that's how it is. If I can figure out a way around it, I'll let you know.
For those of you outside the US, I also still have the Patreon available. And you gain access to the most up-to-date chapters.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
The healing armament had scarcely left my lips before the flashing daggers at her fingers ripped a chunk of the automaton’s Life away. So I added a second. Then a third.
The sudden onrush of so much healing energy and the raw pleasure that came with it made her stumble just long enough for the golem to escape. But my spells had cost it dearly. Woozy from the drainage, the wooden man careened into the wall. Its whirling fists thundered against the stone only a scant handful of times before snapping against the seemingly implacable structure.
Arx was on it in a second, her eyes gone mad with rapturous sexual climax and the lust for battle. Over and over, I armed her claws. Over and over, they carved furrows through exposed wood. Life surged from automaton to lilim, transforming along the way into regenerative power and wild, mind-breaking pleasure.
The golem fought valiantly with what remained of its shattered arms, but it was a pointless effort. Arx did not even bother to dodge. She was so crazed from my spells, anything beyond pressing her attack went unheeded. The golem battered her against the wall, crushed her arms, broke her teeth. It did not matter. Each time, the roaring power in her veins snapped her body into place, and she would launch herself back into the fray, her claws a frenzied blur.
And behind her, there was me. Shouting the Words to Renewal of Consumption on repeat, like the terrible yet exquisite mantra it was.
Then, abruptly and without warning, she collapsed mid-swing. It was as though her string had been cut. One moment, she had been attacking with abandon, and the next, she was on the floor. Tracers of steam escaped her quivering body like a venting pressure cooker.
The pill had run its course. Its gifts of ferocity and speed had gone. All that remained were the many, many echoes of bone-melting pleasure. She was at the mercy of the golem.
Yet the automaton did not attack. It merely stood there, rocking back and forth unsteadily. It too was all but finished. Its wooden shell was in splinters. Its arms barely worked anymore. If the pill had lasted a few seconds longer, she would have drained it completely.
For a moment, the battlefield teetered in a tenuous equilibrium. I had no idea what I could do next. Lynnria was still struggling to stand. Arx was a mess. The golem was on its last legs but still extremely dangerous to a little support mage like me. And of course, the final wave of destruction before we were all crushed to death was now crescendoing toward us.
Perhaps it was that none-too-gentle reminder that broke the peace. Our foe could no longer escape its own demise so, like the monster it was, it decided it would take at least one of us down with it.
Before I realized what was happening, it had scooped Arx into one of its arms and began stumbling toward the labyrinth’s ultimate embrace.
“No!” I shouted.
Frantically, I grabbed onto one of my lilim’s legs, trying to jerk her free, only to be met by a splintered elbow. The blow—much weakened though it was—was still sufficient to steal my breath and send me sliding down the wall. When it got to Lynnria, it paused to look down at her for a moment before delivering a vicious kick to the downed girl’s ribs.
Then it continued its halting march forward to be claimed by the stone. A block the size of a school bus crushed them both.
I sat there in shocked horror, barely even conscious of the burning in my lungs. For a few moments, I refused to believe it. We had been winning. For the first time in who knew how long, we had actually been winning! And then… at the final second…
Tears streaked down my chin, unheeded. We had failed. After all that. All that suffering. The pain. The struggle. The long run through the dark. Arx was dead. Again. There was no way she could have survived that, even with the regenerative power in her. It would have been instant. My feeble attempts at rescue had been flattened under implacable rock.
But the maze did not care. It simply kept collapsing in ever widening circles. Lynnria and I were directly beneath the very next one, and from the way she was now clutching her ribs, I doubted she would be getting far. The golem had made certain of that.
As for myself, I still had some Life in me, but not so much as to heal her properly. The effort would floor me. And escape by myself? No. I could never leave her behind, and even if I could have borne the guilt of it, there were four paths ahead of me. Only one led to freedom. I knew it in my gut.
My ears began to ring. Jumbled, incoherent plans vied with worse ones in a fog of indecision and despair. But then finally, the burning in my lungs became too great, and I sucked in a breath. With it came a new clarity of mind. I had forgotten something. Something critical.
Long ago—or so it seemed, it had only been a few weeks—my Class had evolved. With it had come a strange little ability. Some might think it a trump card, but it was not something I would ever consider using unless my back was quite literally up against the wall.
Once per day, I could sacrifice my remaining Life Energy pool to revive a single lilim.
I swallowed as resolve settled in my gut. I could not believe I was actually considering this. That little phrase: remaining Life Energy pool. The implications chilled me to the bone.
Well… we’re hosed either way. Might as well. Okay. How do I actually go about using this—?
Scarcely had the decision been made than a series Words arose from within me. I did not know where they came from. Like the binding ritual, they did not exist within my mind. They Spoke themselves into existence through the medium of my own lips, but it had not been my Will that brought them forth.
They were four in total. Only the four. But they were powerful, heavy things. They hovered in the air for a moment, ethereal yet solid. As if gathering their power. Then there came the light.
Real light. Like the sun. Blinding in its intensity.
Suddenly, my Core ripped open, and—
*****
I opened my eyes… to darkness.
Several precious seconds ticked away while I reoriented myself. I was standing. For some reason. My heart was beating away, strong as ever. I felt hale and completely uninjured, which was an unexpected but no less welcome development. Things were relatively quiet, save the rumbling in the far distance… and the sounds of someone sobbing nearby.
I turned toward the noise only to become immediately distracted by the unnatural swaying at my chest. I blinked a few times and shook my head. For a moment, I cupped my breasts with one arm. I was still a little unused to them being so large, but they had not grown again that I could tell. Sadly.
So why…?
I shook my head again. The last thing I remembered had been sinking my claws into that ‘stit-sucking golem. Then things had gotten… really nice. But fuzzy.
Might have gotten a little carried away there.
So what had happened? And where was the master?
I scented at the air curiously before realizing I could sense him perfectly well—actually maybe a little too well. But that was not important. The connection had opened!
Elated beyond measure, I scurried forward to hold him in my arms, but he was completely out of it. Limp as a doll. And cold to the touch.
“Master?” I called, growing concerned. “My Dearest?”
“Who—?!” a voice shouted in alarm, only to immediately succumb to a hacking cough.
“Who do you think, pet?”
The girl wheezed for a few moments, catching her breath. I could sense disbelief. Confusion. Lots of fear. “Arx? How? You… you died! I saw you die!”
I sniffed dismissively. Me die? Nonsense. I could never die. Not truly. “What happened? Why is Donum so cold?”
“I—I don’t… he cast some kind of spell and… I don’t know. There was this light, and then… then everything went dark and he… he…”
The master’s little plaything ran out of steam for a bit. Her emotions were fluctuating wildly, too fast for me to make sense of. But there was also a raspy sort of crackling in her voice.
Punctured lung? Strange. When had that happened? She had not directly entered the fight that I could recall. But the golem was nowhere around. I could sense that easily enough. Must have run off. Shame. The Gem that thing would have dropped…
“I think he might be dead,” the girl finished finally, cutting into my thoughts. “We need to get… get out of here.”
My lips curled over my fangs. How dare she? The gall! To suggest leaving him? And with her? Ha! I would sooner light her on fire just to piss on her than—
A wave of dizziness briefly overcame me, scattering the thought. No… no, we mustn’t do that.
I growled softly, anyway. If she were to suggest such a thing again, I would not let her off so lightly.
“He’s not dead. I would know,” I informed her. I felt the surge of hope at my words, but I did not much care. She was only a pet.
Even so, the master was not in a good way. Again.
Worse, all the precious Lust I had been saving had vanished. I was barely even horny! Hmm… maybe a bit more than that.
I was always a little wet, after all. For him. ‘Snails, the last few hours had been absolute torture! To feel so much without the satisfaction of having him between my legs? Augh!
My pussy came alive at the thought, itching—begging to be touched. Filled and stretched to the brim!
And a wave of dysphoria came with it.
I rubbed at my eyes. Something was very… off. But the master needed Life. That much I was sure of.
Hastily, I reached for myself only to be met by that ridiculous skirt. I honestly did not know why I was still bothering with the garment. It was completely useless and only ever got in the way.
However, it was a piddling task to hook a claw through the drawstring and discard it. I would enjoy the master’s surprise and embarrassment when he found out. And his private thrill at my daring.
But when I ran a finger through my folds, a chill ran up my spine. That had felt… unusual. Wonderful, of course. But… strange. Almost unfamiliar. But how could that be? I had toyed with myself often enough to know its every contour. Even in this new body.
Distracted, I pressed the moistened finger to his lips but, while pleased by his unconscious suckling, I was no less bothered. What was going on with me?
“That’s… he’s going to be alright then?” the girl asked, cutting into my thoughts.
I sighed. It was perfectly obvious that the master needed to again sup upon my well of Life. But it was equally obvious that whatever seed he had planted within her had yet to bear fruit. She would have to be blind not to sense his need.
“Yes,” I replied shortly. Then, softening slightly from the alternating waves of hope and despair radiating off the girl, I added, “Eventually.”
My back arched slightly as my finger again sought out the precious liquid within me. By the master’s gaze… why did that feel so good? It was almost like he was watching me.
Feeling what I felt.
I quirked an eyebrow at the thought, intrigued. The connection was so very, very open right now. What if…?
I tickled his nose with my glistening claw, smiling now. Can you smell that, my Dearest? The tips of my breasts began to dimple and twist, and I ran a hand over them idly. Can you see me? Or is it more?
“Good,” the master’s pet sighed with relief.
I snarled at the interruption. Idiot, blind girl!
“But we still need to get out of here!” she continued. “The bricks will smash us to pieces if we don’t.”
For half a moment, I did not answer, preferring to instead allow the master to absorb what he could from my finger. I was not quite so full as the last time I had done this, so my gift had probably weakened. Even so, I could sense a bit of warmth returning to his cheeks.
She was right. I was helping, but it was not so fast as to wake him before the maze collapsed on us. I could hear it encroaching even now. But I would not give her the satisfaction of admitting it.
“You don’t say,” I replied coldly.
As quick as I could, I rolled the master’s limp form over my shoulders. Then I hesitated. The girl was in terrible shape. I had little doubt my Dearest could eventually nurse her back to health given time and resources, but we had precious little of those. And with the maze bearing down on us…
…no…
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes, I know,” I said into the empty air.
“What?”
“Nothing. Come on. Let’s get you up.”
With that, I led us on, idly humming some tune from a distant memory. A woman had sung it to me once as I lay sleeping. I had not thought of her in quite some time, but it did not much matter anymore. She was long dead. And I had a new Clan.
Besides, I would much rather think about—
“Oop!” I paused as a thrill ran up my spine. Slightly to the left and… “This way.”
Seleroan
Hey folks!
I've got merch! That's right, about a month ago, I hired an artist to do some character portraits, and I figured, 'What better way to use them, than letting you guys buy your favorite girl. As a mug!'
Yeah... what can I say? I like coffee.
Anyway, here's the store:
https://the-quest-of-words-merch.printify.me/products
Currently, it only ships to the US. Can't seem to figure out why. Nothing on the webpage mentions that. But that's how it is. If I can figure out a way around it, I'll let you know.
For those of you outside the US, I also still have the Patreon available. And you gain access to the most up-to-date chapters.
Come on down! We'd love to see you.
