Time on the road was what Sara had decided she needed most. She had a purpose in this world, at least technically, but it was so vague she'd be damned if she knew what she was supposed to be doing. Hell, after all she’d seen of the so-called society she was supposed to save, she didn’t give much of a shit what happened to them. So, she'd left the city, left without warning, carrying along Evie and all the supplies she could stuff into the once-endless bag that she kept at her hip, then more again into a backpack. It turned out, Sara had learned, traveling with someone you cared about led to a wholly unnecessary amount of creature comforts.

  Sara prepared the camp each night, when they didn't happen to end the day close to a vilge, and she id out their supplies in exacting fashion. A fire pit, of course, and on opposite sides of it she unfurled small travel mattresses, the thicker going to Evie, who was less accustomed to life on the road. Then she'd begin cooking, if they had fresh food, after which she'd clean her tools and wander the perimeter and tie her shoes and ce her clothes and really, quite honestly, do anything to procrastinate the night's inevitable conclusion.

  The obligations between Sve and Master. They still hung over her like an ax, dropping lower with the sun each night. It couldn't be avoided, not unless she wanted Evie to begin compulsively acting on her own to sate the requirements, but it pained her more each night as she and Evie spent the day getting closer. If Sara hadn't had Amarat as a patron, the daily ritual could have been made something else. But she hadn't chosen another god. She'd chosen Amarat, Goddess of Love and Connections, the Goddess of Passion.

  And a Goddess of passion had only one way to show reverence.

  The best solution she'd found was having Evie turn away, so as not to be forced to watch, while Sara pleasured herself to the sight of the lithe catgirl before her. When she was close to finishing, she'd have Evie turn around and come finish her off, just a few quick pumps usually, and that had satisfied the day's obligations. She could see how dissatisfied Evie was with the compromise, but she couldn't think of any way to fulfill the colr's requirements without having Evie physically touch her. It was an absurdity to be required to do something like that, an absolute absurdity, yet she couldn’t avoid it.

  But despite that distasteful nightly ritual, they were becoming more comfortable around one another, one conversation at a time. Such as now, when she and Evie were spending a little extra time walking at sunset so they could reach the vilge appearing over the hill.

  "I've only seen that bird in books!" Evie cheerfully excimed, pointing to a blue blur that zipped by overhead. Sara tried to follow it, but it had already darted back into the branches. "I've always wanted to see birds more colorful than pigeons and crows. Not the ones in the market or the fair, of course."

  "Those don't count," Sara said.

  "No, they do not," Evie agreed, the lilt to her words once more reminding Sara of antiquated, vaguely British nobility. "A robin and a bluebird in one day. How wonderful is that?"

  Sara chuckled. "You should see what kind of birds are in jungles. There's one not too far from here, isn't there?"

  Evie cocked her head, tented ears twitching adorably. "The jungles are the better part of a thousand miles to the south. I don't think I've ever heard someone call that 'not too far.'"

  Sara shrugged, her backpack filled with weapons and stolen silverware jangling with the motion. "I used to make roadtrips like that in a day. Sure, driving for that long sucks, but it's not that bad. If there was a bonafide jungle waiting for me at the end I'd have done it every weekend."

  Evie ughed, a musical note that always pulled at the corners of Sara's lips. "Such a strange life you seemed to have lived, Master. For all the money my family had, your supposedly humble upbringing was awash with wealth that put ours to shame."

  Despite herself, Sara had gotten used to Evie calling her Master. It seemed the compulsion was too strong to ignore, at least when not around others, so she'd begun to let it slide. Now it felt natural, just another nickname between friends.

  "Maybe this world will be like mine, someday," Sara said. "Magic's great and all, but there are a lot of problems hanging around that I'm only used to seeing in history books."

  Evie hummed, substituting a fallen log for a bance beam as she talked. "I hope it does, Master. It sounds like a wonderful world." Sara watched Evie bance, form-fitting riding pants highlighting her long legs and the tail bobbing through the air. Sara suppressed the urge to reach out and feel its softness while Evie talked on, unaware. "Though I do worry about some of what you've told me. It seems like such changes, if brought about by the wrong person, would be disastrous."

  Sara ripped herself away from staring at Evie's ass when the catgirl hopped off the log, stride gracefully unbroken. "You're not wrong about that," Sara said. "A lot of the stuff that'd eventually go on to be super helpful started off deadly, used in wars and all kinds of things."

  Evie tossed that long hair of hers over a shoulder to look back at Sara with concern. "Don't you worry that telling me all that you have is dangerous, then? When you spoke before the king at the trial, it seemed you'd implied to him that the world you were from was much the same as ours. Like you were guarding its secrets."

  Sara cocked her head thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I was, at the trial. But I trust you. And the most dangerous things are stuff I only understand vaguely, so it's not like word getting out would be too disastrous. I couldn't build a nuke to save my life."

  Evie's ears flicked. "A 'nuke?' The weapons you speak of have such strange names, Master. I struggle to imagine that anything built of mundane materials could rival the worst of what Archmages have produced over the centuries."

  "Oh?" Sara raised her eyebrows. "A nuclear bomb will destroy everything in a hundred miles or more, and forever irradiate- poison- the nd for thousands of years. It's a poison that drifts on the wind and sticks to material, which means even after a nuke is detonated, anyone that grabs a rock from the area can drop it somewhere else and start killing people there."

  For the first time since they began journeying together, Evie's heel caught a rock that sent her stumbling.

  Straightening, she said, "Ah. No, I don't think the mages have made something like that. But those are hard to make, right?"

  Sara made a so-so gesture. "The first nuke? Basically impossible. You have to break all kinds of rules, discover new kinds of matter and fundamental truths of the universe and that kind of crap. But after that first one?" Sara dropped her hand and sighed. "You can make as many as you want. Constantly, unendingly. At one point humanity had enough stockpiled to kill every living thing on the pnet. Twice over." Evie's eyes widened as Sara sighed. "They never got used, thankfully."

  "Master?"

  "Mm?"

  "I think I'd like you to order me to never tell anyone of your world's secrets."

  That rocked Sara back on her heels. "You want me to give you an order?"

  Evie nodded solemnly. "I do. Right now, someone could compel that knowledge out of me magically, or torture me, or get me drunk or... something else, I don't know. But if you order me to hold my tongue, none of those will work."

  Sara stopped walking, crossing her arms and staring at her feet as she thought it over. She hadn't given Evie a true command since the first two (she tried to forget the third) on the first day she'd acquired her.

  "You sure?" Sara asked one more time. Evie nodded. Sara took a deep breath, decision made. "Alright. Evie, you can never unwillingly reveal to anyone the things I've told you about Earth, especially its weapons."

  The bracelet hummed, nearly imperceptible, and Evie shuddered in equally subtle fashion. Sara watched the catgirl's eyes flutter and her tail still, trying to ignore the blossom of warmth in her core. The moment passed, then Evie smiled.

  "Thank you, Master. Though you didn't have to be so litigious in your wording, you know."

  Sara frowned. "I know. But I don't like restricting you more than I have to. What if you really do need to reveal that kind of knowledge one day? Or what if I die before you, leaving you with restrictions and compulsions that can't be undone?"

  "I'd be very frustrated with you if you died before me, Master. But in any case, my new Master could simply undo the commands as easily as you can."

  Sara winced as they neared the vilge, which was now in shouting distance. "You know, I'd assumed for some reason that you'd be free once I died. I guess that wouldn't fit the whole 'punishment' aspect of divine svery, would it?"

  Evie smiled kindly, like a mother comforting a naive child. "No, it wouldn't. But at least in this way I've paid for my crimes on this pne of existence, instead of the next. I have to imagine that the arbiters of holy justice wouldn't be nearly as kind as you."

  "Don't count your eggs before they've hatched," Sara warned her, chuckling darkly. "I've been given a mission from the gods that I have to complete before I can settle down. Can't imagine anything that needs their involvement will be easy to do."

  "That's why they gave you what they did, yes?" Evie said, eyes flicking to Sara's crotch in a motion so quick Sara wondered if she'd imagined it. "It's only been a bit more than a month. I'm sure there's more than one thing hidden up your sleeve for future use." They'd begun to speak in vague terms now that they were entering the vilge proper, passing by strangers lighting nterns. Most paused what they were doing, taking interest in the wealth their clothes dispyed. "I trust that you'll keep me safe, at the very least."

  Sara gnced over as Evie patted Sara's hand, which had unconsciously settled over the small of Evie's back to keep her close now that they were among strangers. Sara flushed, pulling the hand away.

  "I appreciate the trust. I'm just warning you, though, I've seen plenty of stories like this, and I don't think this is the genre where everything goes smoothly all the time."

  "Noted, M- Sara. Now, do you have any idea where we're going to stay for the night? I certainly haven't been here before."

  Sara snorted. "And why do you think I would have? Let's ask around." Sara called out to a burly gentleman who was lighting a ntern outside his home. "Excuse me, do you know where we can find some rooms for the night?"

  The man continued with his work for a moment before starting, turning to them as he realized he was the one being addressed. "Oh! I'm sorry, m'dy- er, m'dies. Yes, there's a tavern with some rooms. Just down the road, to the right at the first intersection." He made a point to pull the cap off his head, for formality, despite the fact that Sara knew that that particur rule only applied when indoors. "But I'm afraid to say that it likely won't be fit for your types. Er, that is, someone of your clear importance, I should say."

  "I'd be fine with paying for a roof," Sara assured the man, flipping a coin of some denomination or another his way. "Not hard to improve when the alternative is dirt and the open sky."

  The man deftly caught the coin, smiling respectfully. "As you say, madam."

  Sara walked on with Evie, leaving the man to his work. As they continued to walk and more eyes drew towards them in the early-evening gloom, she resumed her close press to Evie's side, consciously this time.

  "Do you think we should get simpler clothing?" Sara murmured, scanning their surroundings. "I didn't think it was that extreme, but people are acting like we're royalty."

  "I was, technically," Evie murmured back, "And you are something well beyond royalty. But no, I don't think we'll need simpler clothing. It's difficult to hide the fact that you're an Irregur when you're carrying a pack so heavy it should have snapped your back."

  Sara shifted the mentioned backpack, humming with understanding. "Irregur is what you call it, then? When someone has a css?"

  "A combat Css specifically, yes, and it's not hard to notice. Not to mention the fact that you're among the tallest women I've ever seen, and well-muscled. You'll also likely never be walking about with your weapons beyond easy reach. A sword on your hip is a very clear clue to betray your status. The most you could hope for is passing yourself off as a mercenary or deserter."

  Sara turned the corner the shop owner had directed them towards, scanning the faces and features of those present in the street to see just how much she and Evie stood out. Most were human, as in the capital, but perhaps a quarter or third of them were split evenly between folk sporting green skin, tails, or other markers of non-human ancestry. None, notably, were catgirl ‘Felines’ like Evie, though there were a few full-blooded catfolk, who were covered head to toe in fur.

  "What about you? Is being a catgirl unusual out here?"

  Evie looked amused. "Catgirl, you say? I haven't heard that one before. I trust it's not an insult, Sara."

  "I-I meant Feline!" Sara stuttered, flushing deeply. "I just haven't seen anyone like you or your mother since we left the city, so I was wondering if you'd draw attention to yourself no matter what."

  Evie leaned into Sara, pressing their sides together and wrapping an arm around her. Which was, obviously, just a practical measure to keep safe among strangers while sharing private information.

  "No, to answer your question, we're not common. Commonly discussed, but not commonly seen. Felines are an artifact of ancient fae lords, whose dwellings in the fae realm allowed them greater ability to toy with the nature of mortal form." Evie nudged Sara until she looked over, so she could see the smirk on the catgirl's face. "We are technically human, not catfolk, but altered for a purpose. So the legend goes, we were 'designed' explicitly to be attractive. Supposedly we are equally desirable to every mortal race, if my mother was truthful, but I find that hard to believe."

  Sara almost took the dangling opportunity to offer a compliment, but her conscience and curiosity seized the reins first. "Designed?" She asked. "Does that ever bother you, knowing that your body was created just to appeal to others?"

  Evie's expression fell slightly at Sara dodging her bait, but she didn't push the issue. "Not exactly. Maybe when I first learned of it, but certainly not anymore. Even if it did, well..." She snuggled against Sara, leaving no room for alternative interpretation to the motion. "I've had recent cause to adjust to the idea of my body being meant for others."

  Now that was a jab that Sara couldn't ignore. She felt heat spread across her, and not just to her blushing face. Shining crimson and breathing heavy, she slipped from Evie's grasp and darted towards the rge building just a few doors down.

  "I think this is it!" She called back, too loudly. "Let's see if they have any rooms avaible."

  Sara hopped to the door, throwing it open so the smug Evie could saunter in after her, lips split in a satisfied smirk that exposed the razor glint of hidden canines.

  The inn, as Sara had learned was common, also served as the local tavern. With the sun now set and the day's work done, it was as busy as it likely ever got. Most tables were filled by men and women being served mugs, but a few had food with their alcohol, probably too exhausted to make themselves anything at home. Sara ignored the few stares she garnered, thankful that most were too absorbed in their discussions to pay her and Evie any mind.

  She wandered up to the bar, leaning against it as she patiently waited for the bartender to find her way over. Her patience proved unnecessary, as the woman stopped serving a patron mid-sentence when she caught a gnce at Sara out of the corner of her eye. The man who'd been ordering opened his mouth to protest, but the words died as he saw Sara's clothing.

  "My word! Um, hello, Your Ladyships." The flustered bartender unsubtly rubbed at the stains across her shirt's front without success. "How may I serve you?"

  Though the tavern was fairly full, the atmosphere was calm, and Sara didn't have to speak up to be heard. "We're looking for a room for one night and a meal."

  "The meal I can do, but the room?" The bartender gave up on the stains, deciding to csp her hands in front of her waist like Sara imagined a maid might. "We don't have anything befitting those of your stature, Holy One."

  Sara blinked. "What'd you call me?"

  The woman's eyes widened in a panic. "I'm sorry, My Lady! Is that not an appropriate term for the Chosen of the Gods? Please, if-"

  Sara hurriedly bent forward, frantically gesturing for the woman to lower her voice. "No, no, it's not that," she reassured the woman. "It's just that I'm surprised I was recognized out here. You know who I am?"

  The bartender put a hand to her chest, posture colpsing with relief. "Oh, I was so worried I'd offended you, My Lady."

  "Well, you didn't. But I would like to know how you recognized me."

  Her rigid posture returned along with her sculpted smile. "Your likeness has been distributed in many ways following your exploits in the capital, my Lady. As close as we are to the center of the kingdom, our attending Lords receive regur dispatches of news on horseback, and no missives were more important than the news that you'd singlehandedly ousted that traitor of a mayor."

  "Good riddance," Evie muttered beside Sara. The bartender nodded to her sharply.

  "Just so. I've heard she was a poor Lady for the city in many ways." The bartender blinked, coming back to herself. "Oh, but you were asking for rooms! I must insist that you give me a little bit of time, your Ladyships. I will gather some friends and have the Lord's manor freshened up in no time."

  "Is he away on business?" Sara asked. She didn't want to be stepping on any noble toes, still unsure of how much leeway her pseudo-title gave her.

  The woman waved her concern away. "Oh, no, Lord Garavan passed away a few months back. Apparently, there's quite a fierce ongoing legal battle regarding his estate, which has id vacant in the interim. It's kept under watch, but never entered, so it should only take us a few scant minutes to dust and tidy up. If you'd like, I can have your food prepared while you wait?"

  Sara shared a look with Evie, then agreed. They took a more secluded table, Sara insisting that there was no need to make a fuss over her arrival. The bartender assured her she'd keep quiet about things, but in such a way that Sara suspected the woman assumed they were on some secret mission from a god. The food arrived in short order, though, so she let herself be distracted.

  "We're gonna have to get piner clothes," Sara decred between bites. "This is ridiculous."

  "Is it not pleasurable?" Evie asked, cutting apart her meat with a refined grasp of her dented utensils. "To have you each and every whim not just tended to, but anticipated? It was an ethic my mother strived to instill among her staff."

  "With all due respect to your mother-"

  "Which isn't much," Evie interjected.

  "-I don't think her attitude is one I want to emute. Better beds and private rooms are nice, sure, but getting fawned over like that? It's nasty. They're acting like I'm better than them, and what's more, they're acting like I think I'm better than them."

  "Such is the retionship between serf and Lord," Evie said idly, popping a piece of meat into her mouth. "They treat you as they would anyone else of your bearing."

  Sara rolled her eyes. "God, I can't imagine. Having to grovel at someone's feet like that every time you speak to them? It'd drive me crazy."

  "You treated the king with simir respect," Evie reminded her.

  Sara threw her hands into the air. "And it sucked! If he hadn't had something I wanted, I would have told him enough to get your mother axed and been out the door before he could reply."

  "It's nice to know that I was desired."

  Sara colpsed onto the table, rubbing her eyes. "Not like this, though, Evie. You know that."

  "I appreciate it all the same."

  At that moment the bartender returned, noticeably dirtier and breathing heavily. "Your Ladyships, your rooms are ready whenever you are finished with your meal."

  Sara thanked her and handed her a few coins, hopefully enough to cover the cost of a meal and impromptu cleaning service. She often overpaid for such things, but money was ughably easy to come by once you were operating in the same circles as nobility.

  Returning to her meal, she considered ways to better disguise themselves as they traveled further. The roads would be getting more dangerous as they removed themselves from the well-patrolled regions of the capital, which meant that it would also be practical to appear less wealthy.

  Actually, now that I think about it, Sara thought to herself, Evie was the daughter of a noble. I bet she's got some of her own tricks up her sleeve. Sara looked up at Evie, who was delicately scooping the st of her meal into her mouth.

  "Don't you have weapons training, Evie? I remember seeing you practice."

  "I do," Evie confirmed, producing a napkin from nowhere to dab at the corners of her mouth. "I've been trained with a rapier and buckler, and I've been instructed on the basics of small-group tactical fighting. My mother's Head of the Guard was of the opinion that the easiest charges to protect are those that don't make themselves an easy target, and my feline proclivities meant I took well to the task of armed conflict. As the leader of a renowned mercenary group, my teacher's methods were... diverse. Aside from having me duel his troops, he would constantly abuse my mother's generous stipend to bring in all manner of beasts for me to fight. Mother didn't pay enough attention to realize what was happening until I was quite advanced in my training, thankfully. She forbid it the moment I was discovered, but basic drills have maintained my skill easily enough from the comfort of my room."

  "I know about those drills," Sara chuckled, thinking back to the distracting sight of Evie's sweat-soaked body going through her forms alone in her bedroom. Dressed in nothing but a breast binder and clinging shorts, Sara had been entranced by the sight of the catgirl working out the day's frustration through battles against invisible opponents. She'd thought her privacy total, hidden behind enchanted one-way gss, but Sara had been just across the way, magical spygss hungrily devouring the sight. Sara could still see the way Evie's cat ears had fttened in focus, fangs fshing as she snarled with the effort of each vigorous stroke. Sara had imagined herself beside the exotic girl, hearing the whistle of her rapier as she stepped through the forms. She'd wondered what those lean bands of muscle would feel like rippling under her fingers, wondered if she would purr at every touch...

  "Master?" Evie whispered, tilted head leaning over the table. "Lost in pleasant memories?"

  Sara shook her head, lightly spping her cheeks to bring herself back to the present. "Sorry. Damned goddess blessing is anything but, sometimes."

  "Oh, really?" Evie hummed, settling back into her chair. "In what way?”

  "Just, y'know, it just makes some things too easy," Sara hastily lied. "Would you believe I'd never even held a sword before I arrived here? Now I'm practically an expert. Didn't have to practice like you did."

  "That's frustratingly convenient for you. Have you any idea how many hours I practiced to become as skilled as I am?"

  "Feels like I watched most of them st month," Sara mumbled to herself, then shook her head. "No, and I'm scared to know. It feels unfair for me to just end up magically better than you."

  Evie, who'd been in the middle of putting the st bite of her food into her mouth, paused. "Better than me, you said?"

  "I mean, probably," Sara replied, not bothering to hide her confidence. "I've gotten into a good few fights since I got here, and I never struggled in any of them. It's like Amarat shoved every possible counter and parry into my head when she dropped me off. Haven't been surprised once."

  Evie set her fork down, leaning forward with steepled fingers and a malicious glint in her eyes. "From what you've told me, you only fought underpaid guards and hired thugs. Care to try your hand against someone with skill?"

  "In a friendly bout? Sure, sounds interesting."

  "Well then. I trust you're one who wouldn't take offense to being humbled by their sve, Master?"

  Never one to back down from a challenge, Sara raised her eyebrows theatrically. "Oh, you meant I'd be fighting you?" She dug a bit of dirt out from underneath her fingernails, failing to keep the sly smile off her face. "When you said I should fight someone skilled, I imagined you knew someone in town or something."

  Evie smiled much wider than usual, enough to bear hidden fangs. "Oh, this is going to be such a delight."

  Sara ughed boisterously and stood, waving to the woman who'd prepared the Lord's manor for them. The bartender dropped the drinks she'd been holding on a table immediately, not waiting for pay as she scurried over.

  Sara continued to exchange barbs with Evie as they walked to the manor, led through overgrown gates to a wn where wildflowers had grown amuck. Sara waved their escort goodbye, quickly darting through the foyer of the manor to inspect the back courtyard.

  Sara began pacing out the area to ensure they'd have enough room for their mock duel while Evie stretched. The courtyard had once sported carefully tamed flowers of every kind, featuring artful stone pathways weaving through dispys of roses, lilies, petunias, and a dozen other varieties. Left unattended, the flowers had burst into motion. The grass was practically overtaken by various colors, only the central stone patio free of tangled bushes and thorny roses. A three-tiered stone fountain in its center was surrounded by a few wooden benches, reminiscent of a park back on Earth. Sara pulled the benches away to clear space, leaving an adequate area of skillfully id cobblestone for their duel.

  "Ready?" Evie called out. Sara turned towards her, intending to fire off one st jab, but stumbled over her words.

  Evie had stripped down to her basics, the very same outfit she'd worn while practicing in her room. A tight white wrap bound her chest, thin enough that the slightest edges of her breasts were left bare. Nothing else covered her upper body, freeing Sara's eyes to rove over the catgirl's toned stomach, a hint of abs rising up beneath milky skin that looked so, so smooth. Her arms were taut with muscle, flexing as she shook them out.

  And her pants. God, her pants. She'd taken them off, actually, Sara could see them in a pile with her shirt in the grass, which meant that she was only wearing that pair of skin-tight practice shorts that Sara had salivated over for weeks. She had no idea how in the world some tailor had made hand-spun cloth cling so tightly to Evie's ass, but she thanked every god this world had for granting them the skill. The only aspect of Evie’s outfit that had changed from the times Sara spied on her bedroom practice sessions was the dark iron colr standing out starkly from her pale skin, a glyph-covered choker that sent a hot ball of emotions through Sara's gut.

  Evie turned around to grab something, bending over, which gave Sara a prolonged look at her ckadaisically bobbing tail floating above an ass that was to die for.

  Evie straightened slowly, having picked up nothing at all, and tossed her head over her shoulder with the least innocent expression Sara had ever seen. Her voluminous hair, long enough to reach her belly button, hid her chest wrap just well enough for Sara's imagination to paint the image of the catgirl naked.

  "You bitch," Sara breathed, blinking forcefully as she tore her eyes away. "That's fighting dirty."

  "Any advantage should be seized in a fight, and I've had it under good authority that my natural assets are considerable," Evie countered in a sultry tone. After a pregnant pause, she ughed, adopting a more casual stance. She began gathering up her hair, tying it up in a bun so she could fight unrestricted. "It's just too easy, Master. How could I resist?"

  "I thought nobles were all about honor," Sara huffed, shucking off her own overclothes. Unlike Evie, she kept her undershirt and pants on. "This is a fair duel between friends. Doesn't pre-match distraction count as some kind of party foul?"

  "If there's one thing nobles love more than antiquated traditions, Master, it's winning." She walked over to Sara's fist-sized pouch that had been set on the cobblestone, drawing out a basket-hilt rapier from its enchanted interior. With an eborate flourish that finished with the bde's tip pointing at Sara's heart, she smirked. "And I must say, I do love winning."

  "That's fine," Sara said, walking over to draw her own weapon from her backpack. "It's not like I'm a stranger to fighting dirty." Sara produced a curved single-edged sword, one that was just a hair longer than the comfortable definition of a longsword. In truth, Sara had found she preferred to fight with either a greatsword or shortsword, depending on the circumstance, but the hand-and-a-half handle of the oversized pseudo-machete that she'd stolen from some thug had proved an adequate middle ground.

  "Rules for the bout, Master?" Evie asked, walking to the far end of the clearing. Sara noted that she'd taken off her shoes as well, deciding to fight barefoot.

  "I don't know. I've never fought a duel before. Do you do it to first blood or what?"

  Evie bnched. "No, that would be idiotic. Is that how people did it in your world?"

  Sara shrugged. "Hell if I know. It sounds right, from what I've heard in movies- er, pys. What rules are you used to?"

  Instead of answering, Evie demonstrated. Spreading her palm over the hilt of her rapier, she muttered something under her breath. Sara watched as the catgirl drew her hand forward, leaving behind a shimmering barrier to the weapon's edge.

  Sara smirked. "You brought protection, then?"

  "It would be idiocy to prepare anything else," Evie answered, not catching the innuendo. "Give me your sword, since you obviously don't know how to do this for yourself." Sara did so, watching carefully as the catgirl enchanted the weapon. Sensing her interest, Evie began to expin. "The enchantment will block any blow well enough to stop it from breaking skin, but let through just enough force to bruise. It doesn't matter how hard or where you strike, be it a joint or eye, it will adapt to the circumstance to prevent permanent harm. It distinguishes between a gncing, lethal, or disabling blow, and allows the tter to sting more so one knows they've been defeated."

  "That's a pretty crazy spell," Sara said admiringly, taking the weapon back from Evie. Giving it a flourish, she found the bance hadn't changed at all. "It must be insanely complicated to cast."

  "Not particurly," Evie shrugged. "Most spells of such exceeding utility have been optimized past the point of exhaustion. It's difficult to leave any potential improvement undiscovered when every soldier on the continent has been casting it each day of the st millennia."

  "Huh. Handy."

  "Indeed," Evie agreed, returning to her chosen starting spot. "Now ready yourself."

  "Yes, ma'am," Sara said, saluting with a sword and cocky grin. She jogged backward across the open courtyard, until her heels were pressing against the st cobblestone. Between the glowing spell on their weapons and the emerging stars above, there was plenty of light to fight by.

  Without warning, Evie barked out, "Begin!"

  Sara jumped forward, mysterious instincts guiding her into a low-grip stance, bde tilted up and forward with hands before her pelvis. Evie adopted something of a fencer's stance, presenting a thin profile with sword hand extended, the other folded behind the small of her back.

  They circled around the central fountain, just outside the other's lunging range. Despite the slightly greater length of Sara's weapon, Evie would have the advantage in reach thanks to her single-handed stance. That was countered by Sara's ability to ssh from any direction, not just stab, but it was a tenuous bance. Fighting as they were without armor, Evie's avenues of attack were simple and effective, while Sara would have to tire herself out using wider sweeps from a heavier weapon. In the span of a heartbeat she came to the conclusion that her best bet would be to surprise Evie in the lunge, striking at her exposed sword arm to win via disabling blow. In turn, Evie would likely be fighting cautiously, able to afford a flurry of testing blows that would still be lethal if they happened to slip past Sara's defenses.

  While that analysis flitted through Sara's subconscious, the only thing screaming in Sara's active mind was how goddamned hot the girl across from her was. Like, if she'd thought Evie was hot before, and even hotter when holding a sword, then she was mind-shatteringly intoxicating when the sword was leveled against Sara herself. From her calcuted stance to the piercing gre, not to mention the way her cat ears fttened against her head and her tail curled up adorably behind her back, everything about the situation was driving Sara mad. She could feel her pulse pounding in her neck, and it certainly wasn't from a fighter's adrenaline.

  Before she could let herself get any more distracted, Sara reversed her pacing, meeting Evie out from behind the fountain. Licking her lips, Sara waited for-

  Evie's bde fshed, a silver glint in the night. Sara's wrists twisted, knocking the bde to the side, then shot upward as she tried to draw the edge of her sword across the inside of Evie's elbow.

  The rapier disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving Sara swinging through open air. Rather than reset her stance, Sara twisted her hips and turned the momentum of the swing into a downward stab, aiming for the cvicle.

  In a motion too precise to be purely human, Evie tucked a shoulder to the side, leaving Sara's bde singing through open air once more.

  The rapier flicked forward, aiming for Sara's gut. She managed to twist to the side as she drew her sword back, feeling a sting scrape across her ribs in a way that told her she would have suffered a gncing blow had the fight been genuine.

  They both pulled away, Sara falling back into her guard while Evie's offhand came up, instinctively feeling at her right shoulder. It seemed Sara had successfully drawn the edge across Evie's shoulder as she'd retreated, but not enough to be considered a disabling blow.

  "Just to be clear," Sara panted, "this is best of one? Like it was a real fight, winner takes all?"

  "Of course," Evie breathed, equally out of breath from the brief csh. "We're getting you used to a real fight, not tavern brawling."

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Sara leapt forward. Their circling had turned Evie's back to the fountain, so she seized the moment in a flurry of carefully restrained blows. Through some sense she couldn't define, she knew that the simplest way for Evie to avoid each swing was to take a small step backward, pushing her towards the fountain.

  Which was exactly what the girl did. Sara's sword whipped through the air as she swung once, twice, thrice, driving the catgirl backward until her heel bumped against the fountain's edge, tripping her-

  Once more dispying that impossible grace, Evie unconsciously hopped two feet straight up onto the fountain's edge, bare feet as steady on mossy stone as she'd been on the ground.

  Sara ground her teeth, spitting out a quick "Shit!" under her breath.

  Evie, of all things, ughed.

  Sara continued the flurry, fully committed now. Evie's bare legs were exposed, difficult to defend, and if she didn't win now, Sara knew she’d be too exhausted to counter Evie's lightning-fast jabs.

  Evie twisted back and forth as she entangled her rapier with Sara's sword, turning the deliberate exchange of practiced swings into a mess of rough shoving and reactionary grunts. Sara felt another hot line rake across her arm, but not enough to stop her, so she pressed on, shoving, twisting, until-

  Evie stepped up to the second rung of the fountain, bancing on an even thinner rail.

  "Goddammit!" Sara growled, disengaging with a furious swipe of her bde that scored a line in the cobblestones between them.

  Evie's tail wiggled pyfully from her perch. "Frustrated, Master?"

  "That's bullshit," Sara decred, pointing her sword at Evie's perch on the inch-wide stone. "Just straight-up bullshit. How am I supposed to fight you when you can do things like that?"

  "I imagine your opponents over the st few weeks said much the same about you, Master. I certainly wouldn't want to fight an opponent who has your level of skill with every weapon they find at hand."

  "Not like it helps me much here," Sara grumbled, rolling her shoulders. "Now would you please get down? You can't actually attack me from up there, and if this were a real fight I'd just start chucking shit at you."

  A teasing glint entered Evie's eyes. "But this isn't a real fight, Master. It's a duel, and there are rules to it. How can you force me down?"

  Sara began circling the fountain, Evie following along. "I could keep swiping at your ankles until I take one out. Losing a foot would definitely qualify as a disabling blow."

  Evie tsked. "After what you've seen, what makes you think I'll be so easy to strike in such a manner?" She straightened her posture, bancing on a single toe, just to show off. "Maybe you'd manage it eventually, but you'd have to hope I didn't strike your head beforehand. What other suggestions do you have?"

  Sara shook her head like a bull, trying to clear her thoughts. It was an impossible task, unachievable when she was looking up at a half-naked woman with her blood already pumping. Evie herself was flushed and breathing heavy from the fight's exertion, bound breasts rising and falling with every pant. As Sara paced, she caught sight of the wrap partially unwinding, a tantalizing little strap just beneath her sword arm that would be so, so easy to rip away...

  Shaking her head once more, Sara growled. "Goddammit, Evie, get down here and fight me for real!"

  Sara realized her mistake as soon as she saw the catgirl touch a hand to her colr and shudder, the bracelet on Sara's wrist humming in tune.

  She had time enough to take two steps back and raise her guard before Evie unched off the fountain in a blur, silvery rapier extended. The csh of steel against steel pierced her ears as she narrowly managed to knock the lethal stab aside, thrown out of her stance by the effort.

  Evie recovered much quicker, hips spinning around as she skidded past Sara. It was all Sara could do to lean backward under Evie's next jab, moving so fast that it sung through the air.

  Sara's left hand left her sword's pommel, punching up into Evie's elbow before she could withdraw it. The blow wasn't enough to break it, but Sara was rewarded by a hiss of pain and the brief second she needed to recover her stance.

  Evie unched yet another blow, aimed for her throat, and Sara was forced onto the defensive once more. With her eyes narrowed to a slit and her fangs unashamedly bared, it was as feral as Evie had ever looked, and it was fucking doing something to Sara.

  The white glow of their weapons was steadily joined by an ethereal pink, a soft glow that was emanating from Sara's skin itself. Evie's attacks slowed as Sara's parries grew faster, more energetic, every whistling blow struck to the beat of her deafening pulse.

  Sara went on the offensive.

  She abandoned the instincts she'd been gifted, trusting instead in the experience she'd gained fighting for her life against bandits and nobles alike. Her sword wove loops around Evie's rapier, cttering collisions steadily marching their way further and further down the bde until she was battering the rapier's base, then crossguard, then basket grip.

  Evie's eyes widened in arm in the split second before Sara's sword struck her forearm, a vicious blow that would have taken the limb just below the elbow.

  The shock of it threw Evie's rapier out of her hand, sending it cttering across the stones. Sara dropped her own sword and closed the gap, seizing the arm she'd struck in an iron grip and twisting it until she had Evie in a policeman's hold, both arms behind her back.

  The catgirl looked back over her shoulder, satisfied smile undeterred by the pink runes glowing across Sara's arms. "Congratutions, Master-"

  "Quiet," Sara snapped. The bracelet vibrated and Evie shuddered, mouth clicking shut in an instant. Sara’s blood was roaring, her heart pounding, her cock throbbing. Any will to resist the goddess's blessings had deserted her the moment those runes had bzed a trail across her skin. Leaning close, she hissed into Evie’s ear.

  "You wanted this, didn't you?"

  In answer Evie's ass pushed back, grinding against the bulge in Sara's pants while her tail coiled around Sara's hips.

  Sara shoved her forward, watching her stumble. She waited until Evie turned to face her, then growled, "Kneel."

  Evie's legs dropped out from under her like a marionette having its strings cut. Her breath was heaving now, tits rising and falling. Sara stepped closer and grabbed a fistful of Evie's hair, feeling for the twine that tied it in a bun.

  "Don't keep your hair up when we're alone," Sara ordered, snapping the string with a jerk of her hand. Evie's head went along with the motion, a gasp of pain and pleasure forced from her lips.

  Sara crouched down, eye level with the catgirl. Her eyes were wide and her lips quivered, some emotion Sara couldn't figure on her face. "Open your mouth."

  Evie did so. Sara reached a hand up and ran a finger along her teeth, feeling the needle canines that the girl went through so much trouble to hide. Evie's tongue followed along, unconsciously tasting Sara's finger. She pressed the pad of her thumb harder against the canine, until it nearly pierced the skin, then hooked it around the tooth and forced the catgirl to look up at her.

  "You know how to keep those out of the way?"

  Evie nodded as frantically as one could with one hand in their mouth and another on the back of their head.

  "Good." Sara stood, shoving the catgirl's face into her crotch. "Get to it."

  Evie's hands flew to Sara's belt, shoving it down in a desperate bid to follow orders. Sara leaned her head back and sighed, feeling cool night air hit her cock.

  The goddess of love did not shortchange her champions. She'd taken more than a few partners to bed since arriving in this world, and every time the equipment between Sara's legs had changed to fit her partner's preferences, no matter how extreme. Right now Sara sported a cock that was the better part of eight and a half inches, hard as could be. She groaned as gentle hands took her length, wasting no time as they began to pump.

  She'd been a fucking moron for thinking that jerking herself off to the sight of Evie was anything worth settling for. This, this right here, was heaven. She rocked her hips forward, encouraging Evie's ministrations.

  Evie continued to slide her hands along her cock, earning another low groan, but it wasn't enough. Sara could feel the searing heat of glyphs on her skin, feel the demand in her gut for more.

  She bent forward and ran her hands down to the roots of Evie's hair, then tightened.

  "Keep your mouth open."

  Evie did, tongue lolling out. She knew what was going to happen. By the way her heated breath steamed in the air, she'd been waiting for it.

  With an animalistic grunt Sara yanked the girl's head down, enveloping herself in that hot, addictive throat.

  Evie began to cough as Sara slid forward, feline eyes watering in discomfort, but her hands grabbed at Sara's ass and pulled forward all the same.

  Sara bottomed out, Evie's nose pressed into her pelvis. She held herself there for a moment, shivering, nguishing in pleasure, watching the eyes watching her, then pulled back.

  And smmed back in.

  Two moans filled the air as Sara felt the catgirl's throat spasm, like it was trying to squeeze every st drop out of her. Sara adjusted her grip on Evie's head, snagging her hands in her hair at the base of those cat ears.

  Beneath her, Evie bucked, tongue pushing against her cock as she moaned around Sara's length. Kneading her hands deeper into her hair, Sara began fucking her face in earnest.

  Every sp of her cock against the back of Evie's throat was intoxicating, enveloping her in hot velvet that screamed to her pounding pulse that this was what she'd been made for, that this was why she was here in this world. To take, to conquer, to have a crowd of women watching a scene like this one, pawing at her legs, begging to be fucked next.

  Evie began to bob her head of her own accord, throwing herself into the task of servicing Sara. She encouraged it, rewarding the girl by ripping off her bindings to palm her tits while kneading her ears, either motion causing another delectable buzz to run along Sara's cock as her sve moaned.

  Evie was mewling, a free hand having slipped into her underwear to shakily pleasure herself. She couldn't keep it steady, not while she was being fucked by Sara, but the catgirl was clearly wound so tight that the barest massages against her folds were enough to stoke the fmes of desire even higher. The colr glowed as she gave in to the pleasure, rewarding her obedience. Sara watched Evie fall deeper into delirious, overwhelming ecstasy.

  There was a heat building in Sara. She began to fuck her sve's face more frantically, the sp of it audible in the night air alongside a litany of half-moaned curses. She felt her sve's hands leave her ass and travel down, pleasuring herself in frantic rutting motions against her own palm.

  They were both so close.

  It didn't take long.

  Sara's orgasm billowed up from within like an eruption, turning her knees to jelly as she shook and groaned in senseless relief. She buried herself to the hilt in her sve's throat, thrusting with so much force that Evie had to prop herself up with a hand or be knocked onto her back. All the while Sara's mind went white, electric shocks of ecstasy wrapping around every inch of a body that was delighting in a purpose fulfilled.

  Meanwhile, ignored by Sara, Evie came with a scream, delirious gyrations rocking her from head to toe. Sara had to keep hold of her head just to keep her from colpsing while she shuddered and groaned, every jerk of her neck pulling another pulse from her Master's cock. Evie's strength fled her body as she swallowed every st drop, its taste on her tongue a reward even greater than her orgasm. The st shreds of resistance, whatever rebellious notions some hidden corner of her subconscious had clung to, were washed away in a roar of mindless bliss.

  They grinded against one another for what felt like hours, neither paying the other any mind. Baser instincts ruled them, turning them into simple creatures that groaned and slid against the other in a search for just a bit more pleasure.