As Thesa returned to consciousness, she heard people talking–Durn and Witmie…and another voice she didn’t recognize. As her eyes opened, she saw Merijest leaning over her. Her body was just well enough to manage a slight blush.

  “Oh good, you’re awake, kitten,” Merijest said, leaning down to kiss Thesa on the forehead. This was soothing but also provoked a reaction in Thesa which, by sheer intensity, caused her to lose consciousness for another few minutes…

  When she next awoke, Merijest was more cautious with her excitement.

  “I think I’m fine now,” Thesa said, sitting up. The walls of the chamber were lined with spikes. In the center of the room, a lively statue of an upright Crocupine stood on a dais. It moved its stone body, talking to Durn and Witmie. In the statue’s chest, a color-shifting gem glowed.

  “I’m falling back on old patterns,” Thesa said, looking down at herself.

  “How’s that?” Merijest asked, sitting a few inches from her [Witch].

  “Me unconscious, you nursing me back to health. This is starting to become a trend,” Thesa said. Her expression was flat, but Merijest could tell this was intended as a lighthearted joke.

  “As my [Familiar] and my [Witch],” Merijest said with a soft smile, “I have a responsibility to manage your safety whenever possible.”

  Thesa took the warmth in her cheeks as an alert to change the subject. “So what happened while I was out? Who completed the obstacle course?” Although she had nearly gotten to the end, someone else would have needed to try from the start in order to open the pathway.

  “Yabba, if you’d believe it,” Merijest said with a chuckle although her words were genuine. “It was kind of disgusting to watch.”

  Thesa felt a mix of disappointment that she’d missed this accomplishment by her own [Minor Familiar], but at the same time if Merijest thought it was gross she could only imagine.

  “And who is that?” Thesa asked, gesturing toward the talking statue.

  “The [Dungeon Core]. Their name is ‘Gai.’ They used to be a local god but their followers were diminished by you-know-who,” Merijest explained.

  “I should probably go over and meet them too,” Thesa said. She was running out of questions and her cheeks were warming again.

  “Hold up,” Merijest said. For a moment, she looked back at Witmie who gave a nod back to the demoness. “Thesa, I really need to talk to you.”

  Before Thesa could toss out an excuse (and even as she broke into a cold sweat), Merijest continued, “I just want you to know that I meant everything I said and did when we kissed… You don’t have to say anything. Take whatever time you need, but I–”

  In a brazen act that could only be motivated by the gallons of adrenaline being released in her body, Thesa cut off Merijest by kissing her. Their lips remained locked for a bit longer than they might have if Thesa hadn’t forgotten where she was.

  “Ok, I hate to do this,” Durn said, “you two need to pause your making out for like a minute so we can discuss our next steps.” Her expression was flat. Witmie stood beside her, averting her eyes and blushing.

  Thesa sat up in an instant, suddenly remembering where she was. “Oh what? Sorry! Um…”

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  Merijest on the other hand laid nonplussed on the ground with a satisfied smile on her face. It had only been a minute or so anyway.

  Durn rolled her eyes.

  Witmie laughed. “It’s all good, Thesa. Once we’re done talking we can give you two some more privacy.” She winked.

  “Yes, of course!” Thesa continued to scramble, “Nice to meet you I’m Thesa and I’m Merijest’s [Witch] and I guess I should tell you about why we’re he–”

  Gai, the [Dungeon Core], interrupted, “Nice to meet you, but I have already been brought up to speed by your compatriots.” As a [Dungeon Core], they had some sense of what went on within the ruins, so a slightly long kiss was nowhere near enough to warm their cheeks. “No need to rehash your motivations. As for me, you need only understand that Beautuk is responsible for my diminished state and I am eager to assist in his dethroning. We need only discuss the future.”

  Thesa nodded and then looked at Merijest quizzically. “Wait, are we looking for gods…and god-like beings to become [Familiars] or? Oh! Are you going to do what you did with the Twin Stars?”

  Back in the Blinny [Dungeon], the Twin Stars agreed to grant one of Merijest’s [Familiars] (a KangarooHawk) a similar Class called a [Lantern]. The link allowed for communication across long distances and a flow of power between Merijest and the Twin Stars.

  “The second thing, I hope,” Merijest said. “If that’s amenable to you?” She said, looking at Gai.

  The statue nodded their Crocupine-shaped stone head. “This is acceptable,” they said, and with a wave of their stone hand (and a flash of energy from their gemstone) Gai summoned a juvenile Crocupine. “You have my permission,” Gai said to both the Crocupine and Merijest.

  The demoness finally sat up and put out a hand for the creature to approach her. In minutes, she was rubbing the Crocupine’s belly.

  “Also,” Witmie chimed in with a grin, “they said we could camp here for the night and they gave us some tips.” Gai rubbed the back of their neck as if embarrassed by the praise.

  Thesa felt bashful that the team had done so much productive talking while she was passed out and then while she and Merijest were…kissing. She tried to hide the expression, but even Gai (having just met the party) could tell. In an attempt to escape the embarrassment Thesa checked her status and realized she had reached Level 8. She made a note to look at that more in depth that evening but after the party made camp, Merijest led Thesa into her tent and they were unproductive together.

  ***

  The next morning, with her hair a mess and a bruise on her neck, Thesa reviewed her Class options.

  The Level granted Thesa a boost to her [Dexterity] and a new spell. Merijest recommended Thesa take [Corvoid] as it would allow her to temporarily change shape and fly a short distance. Thesa agreed that this would be a boon when they ran into Ailgeth again.

  ***

  Before they left, Thesa asked if Gai knew anything about IsterNgiv.

  All Gai could say was, “It sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.”

  The tent was the same size it had always been but rather than claustrophobic it felt cozy. Thesa could hardly believe this was happening.

  “Uh, is this ok?” Thesa whispered as she tentatively brought her mouth to Merijest’s neck. She kissed just where humanoid skin gave way to feathers.

  Merijest inhaled sharply at the sensation and Thesa could feel a tightness in her chest collapsing in on itself infinitely.

  Then Thesa paused. “Wait, if we kiss too much won’t it drain your [Mana]?”

  Merijest failed to suppress a snort. “That is a myth intended to scare teenagers from making out…”

  “Oh…” Thesa replied sheepishly. Embarrassment blossomed in her throat. “Sorry, I guess I just never…had a chance to really question it…”

  “Even if it was true,” Merijest said with a soft smile. “I’ve got plenty of [Mana] to spare for you, kitten.”

  This feeling, Thesa thought, if it isn’t [Mana]... She let out a high-pitched ‘oh!’ as Merijest maneuvered her mouth to Thesa’s neck and began kissing. Thesa returned to kissing Merijest’s neck in turn. The tightness in her chest… A limitless yearning to keep going and to feel more of the demoness with her mouth…

  When Merijest’s teeth playfully graced her skin, Thesa nearly fainted again.

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  I'm going to have to go back to no-color for the monster art. It turns out that commissioning tons of art for a webnovel with a niche audience can get expensive if you don't pace yourself and I'm terrible at pacing myself lol. If you feel strongly about having the monster in color, feel free to let me know on

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  Thanks for reading!

  Cover and Monster Art by

  Dungeon Maps by Ailish Maura using

  Region maps by Ailish Maura using IbisPaint and FireAlpaca

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