“Whoa...!” Beryl’s bright eyes go wide as the greenery of the grotto comes into view. “This pce...!”

  Most of the walk back was spent in silence. Most of it. Krvavy’s new Elf was a bit too excited to stay quiet the entire time, brimming with curiosity and questions. But Beryl was also rather careful with what she asked. So their idle chatter amounted to little more than small talk, though that did still help to pass the time.

  “Is this yer ‘ome...?!” Beryl breathes out in awe, almost sounding as if she doesn’t believe what she is seeing all around her. “It is beautiful...!” She reaches a hand towards the nearest leafy bush, trailing her fingers through it. “An oasis amongst all these rocks...!”

  “The ‘house’ is way up there, see?” Krvavy gestures across the expansive cave with her axe. Flickering firelight illuminates the ptform high above the grotto, dim and not entirely necessary with the soft beams shining in through the skylights. “But this whole pce is mine, yes.” Not like there is anyone else here to cim it.

  “Ah-maze-in’!” The tanned tomboy excitedly excims, her heavy accent warping that one word in such a wonderful way. “Ah ‘aven’t seen anythin’ this magnificent since leaving ‘ome! Oh, Ah am so ‘appy ya brought me ta this pce, my dearest and lovely wy’ahld Dragon~!”

  “There... is something I need to tell you.” Krvavy hesitantly starts, not quite sure how to say this. Which might be why she put it off until now. Which, in turn, makes her feel a bit stupid. She doesn’t expect this to matter all that much, after all. “I don’t exactly live alone. I have two other women.”

  The Wood Elf tilts her head slightly. “When ya say that ya ‘ave two other women, do ya mean...?”

  “Yes.” Krvavy answers, even if she isn’t entirely sure what it is that Beryl is asking. “They are mine. And I have a... a retionship of sorts with both of them. There’s more to it than that, but... This isn’t a problem for you, is it?”

  “Ach, o’ course not! Ah’d love ta be able ta ‘ave ya ta myself,” the Wood Elf openly and predictably admits, “but Ah am so incredibly ‘appy that ya ‘ave two other sources o’ love in yer life! My, ‘ow blessed ya are!”

  Krvavy can’t help but grimace at that. “Well... I wouldn’t really say that they love me...”

  “They’d be fools not ta! Ya’re perfect!” Beryl confidently decres.

  Sighing and shaking her head, Krvavy expins the situation to her new Elf. She skips out on a few details and keeps the sex stuff a little bit vague, but Krvavy makes sure to emphasize that she raped the Orc into a catatonic mindless state and is pretty much holding Thea captive against her will. She does not even slightly sugarcoat it, and in fact makes the situation seem far more grim than it actually is...

  “Ach, that doesn’t sound so bad.” Beryl dismisses, going so far as to roll her beautiful blue-green eyes. “Ya’re just being ‘ard on yerself.”

  “I don’t know what I expected...” Honestly. It really isn’t a surprise that her literal Elf sve continues to find absolutely no fault in her. Krvavy should have known better.

  “Now ya’re just bein’ dramatic.” The tanned tomboy lightly clicks her tongue. “Ya aren’t ta bme fer what ya did to tha’ Orc. Ya wanted ta do somethin’ good and would ‘ave ‘ad yer instincts not reared their ‘eads and sent yer whole pn awry. It ‘appens. The fact tha’ ya are caring fer ‘er and keeping ‘er safe after tha’ is real sweet o’ ya. As fer yer Human... ya didn’t go out o’ yer way ta abduct ‘er, and ya even rescued ‘er! This is a great pce ta live, far better than wha’ever stinkin’ city she hails from!”

  Krvavy shakes her head. There is simply no point in arguing about all of that. She bites the inside of her cheek and comes to a sudden stop, partway up the switchback path.

  “Is somethin’ wrong?” A look of concern immediately fills the Wood Elf’s face.

  The barbarian takes a deep breath. “I need you to promise me something.”

  “Aye, aye, o’ course,” Beryl quickly nods her head. The fingers on her free hand twitch slightly, resisting the urge to reach out and reassuringly touch Krvavy. “Wha’ is it?”

  This is rather selfish, and maybe a bit delusional, but... “I want to be able to forget that that colr is the reason why you are the way that you are. I don’t want to be constantly reminded that you are my sve. So I’ll take that thing off of you and then that is it: you never talk about it or mention it in any way ever again. Unless you have a very good reason to. I don’t want Thea, or anyone else really, to ever learn about it.”

  Beryl visibly rexes. “Aye, Ah can do that. No problem.” She promises, holding a hand up to her chest and pressing her palm ft above her heart as she does so. “But if Ah am ta live ‘ere wit’ ya and yer other women...” her brow furrows faintly, “then ‘ow do we expin my presence ta them?”

  “I...” Krvavy pauses, absentmindedly continuing along the path even as she fails to properly speak.

  She really hasn’t thought this through. No matter what Krvavy does or says, Thea will be incredibly suspicious of her bringing an Elf home. Especially an Elf as affectionate, and frankly obsessed, as Beryl...

  “Why don’t we just keep it as close ta the truth as possible?” The tanned tomboy suggests a rather simple pn. “We’ll say tha’ ya rescued me from a truly ‘orrible man and tha’, because o’ tha’, Ah fell in love wit’ ya at first sight! Ah’m sure yer Human’ll fall fer tha’ without much thought. Those ignorant folk already think o’ us Elves as pure and sappy romantics, like characters straight out o’ the stories told ta kids... And it shouldn’t be too ‘ard ta believe either, wha’ wit’ ‘ow beautiful and mighty ya are~.”

  While incredibly basic, Beryl’s pn isn’t actually all that bad. And she does have a point. Thea would almost certainly believe it. The girl is kind of a racist, after all. “Alright...” Krvavy slowly sighs out. She can’t think of a better excuse anyway.

  Beryl smiles widely, completely failing to look innocent. “Love, oh Krvavy, my love. Do ya mind me calling you that, love?”

  Krvavy narrows her eyes and gres down at her happy Elf.

  “Oh love, don’t ya look at me like tha’~! Ya wanted me ta py the part o’ the besotted Elf maiden, didn’t ya~?” Beryl’s blue-green eyes twinkle with joy as she openly teases her love. “Ah’m perfect fer the role, aren’t Ah~? It all comes naturally ta me, and Ah don’t even need ta act~!”

  Krvavy stifles a sigh. If either of her hands were free right now, she’d bury her face in them. No wonder Beryl was so eager to suggest this. But... Krvavy doesn’t mind having the Elf as, well, a girlfriend. So if that is what Beryl wants... It is really the least she can do for her unfortunate and accidental sve.

  “Oh! Look at tha’!” The Wood Elf suddenly perks up, staring at the wispy steam further ahead. “Are those the baths ya mentioned?! Ya should’a said tha’ ya ‘ad a hot spring! Oh, ‘ow ah-maze-in’~! This paradise o’ yers just gets better and better!”

  With a degree of reluctance, Krvavy continues on past those tempting pools. Anxiety gnaws at her stomach as she guides Beryl over to her left side, so that the Elf will be mostly hidden behind her as they near the living area and campfire. She doesn’t want Thea catching even a glimpse of that colr. She should have removed it earlier... right when they entered the cave...

  Approaching the campfire, Krvavy sees Thea lying back in the bedding. The girl is clearly bored out of her mind. Or maybe she is just having a nap? Not that she has much else to do...

  “Keep going along up the path. I’ll join you in a bit.” The barbarian quietly tells her Elf.

  Beryl nods and does as Krvavy asks. As soon as that tomboy has her back to Thea, with the bedroll and backpack blocking her head and neck, Krvavy puts the deer down beside the campfire.

  Thea’s eyes zily open at the sound, yawning as she slowly sits up, keeping the bnkets wrapped around her body. The noble girl rubs her eyes tiredly and doesn’t seem to notice Beryl at all, instead focusing on the deer. “Oh. You actually caught something worth eating?”

  “I did more than that.” Krvavy dryly comments. Though despite her tone she is rather happy that Thea is talking again. Especially since the brat even seems to be back to her normal, well, bratty attitude. “I have to get some stuff from the stash, so have fun waking up from your little nap.”

  “You! Do not mock me!” Thea indignantly calls out as Krvavy heads off further up the path towards her meager hoard. And to where Beryl is waiting.

  The Wood Elf is standing in the midst of all the loot, with her bag resting on the ground in front of her. The ptform is starting to feel a little cluttered now, even though it is fairly organized. And even though there is still plenty of free space.

  “Okay, time to get that thing off of you.” Krvavy states, carefully pulling the key from her pouch. She really doesn’t want to drop it. The fall down to the grotto below is very long, and the walk is even more inconvenient.

  Without a word, Beryl turns around and tilts her head forwards, giving Krvavy easy access to the heavy band resting around her neck.

  Immediately, Krvavy notices something rather... odd... about it. The colr doesn’t have a hinge, or anything of the sort. It is a perfect and unbroken circle. A single solid piece of metal. Even the embossed pattern implies as much, looping without interruption. In the center of that otherwise uniform pattern is a keyhole. Framed and all but highlighted.

  A bit of worry lingers at the back of Krvavy’s mind. She hopes that this works. That this actually is the right key. She doesn’t want Beryl to have to live the rest of her life with that thing around her neck.

  Inserting the rather unremarkable key... Krvavy sighs in relief when it turns and causes a soft click to ring out. The metal of the colr bends as if it were a liquid, splitting into a rough U shape that is open at the front. She cautiously lifts that thing off of her Elf’s neck. “Do you feel alright?”

  Beryl doesn’t immediately respond. She reaches a hand up and trails a finger from her colrbone to her chin, before slowly gncing back over her shoulder. A wide smile fills her face. “Ah ‘ave never felt better! Thank ya!” Her bright eyes drop down to that unnatural metal band, narrowing slightly.

  “I’ll find a safe pce to store it.” Krvavy states, finding herself staring towards the seemingly solid stone wall. “Why don’t you head back to the campfire and introduce yourself to my girls? You can unpack your stuff ter.”

  “Aye, my love. Ah’ll do tha’.” Beryl warmly replies, giving the barbarian one st smile before heading back down the path.

  Krvavy idly empties out her pocket, pcing down the little bit of loot that she took from the sketchy man’s corpse. As soon as the Wood Elf is out of her sight Krvavy turns and heads through the stone wall into her respawn point cave.

  The ‘Ever-Burning Campfire’ crackles quietly, casting long shadows on the wall of this private little sanctum. Krvavy looks at the thick, u-shaped band of metal in her hand. The thought of using this thing on Thea crosses her mind, but... is quickly tossed aside.

  Sure, it would tame that brat, ‘fixing’ her attitude and making her quite docile. But Krvavy doesn’t want to crush the noble girl’s will. With or without the help of a magical relic. And she doesn’t even have an excuse that could ‘justify’ doing that sort of thing. Thea isn’t dangerous. Not even slightly.

  Krvavy shakes her head and steps past the magically perpetual campfire. Her fingers climb up the rocky wall, reaching up to where it curves into the ceiling. A bit of mana flows through her arm as Sculpt Stone does its job.

  She may be the only soul that can enter this pce, but even then it doesn’t feel right to just leave the colr lying around. It needs a special spot just for itself. A hidden alcove out of reach of anyone shorter than her. Just to be safe. No matter how paranoid that feels.

  But just before Krvavy slips the colr into its new home, she pauses. Her brow knits together as she realizes something. Krvavy never used Inspect on the colr. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t. It is still worth a try before the thing gets sealed away.

  Colr of Consuming Love: This deceivingly simplistic metal colr has potent and ancient magics brimming beneath its surface. Permanently alters the mind of those who wear it, causing them to hopelessly fall in love with the first person they y eyes upon. This love is unshakable and unyielding, consuming their very being and making them willing to do anything for the one they love, even if it is to their detriment.

  Nothing particurly unexpected there, despite it being a bit longer than the usual Inspect. Could that be because Krvavy already had most of what it says expined to her? That could be something to test out ter. Because right now it is time to put that thing – and its key – out of her sight and out of mind. A thin yer of stone buries that dangerous object.

  Now... it is time to go and see how her girls are getting alon–

  The Drakling cuts that thought short, stopping mid-step, as she remembers one more thing. Killing that sketchy fire mage levelled her up. And even though that was a few hours ago, she still hasn’t allocated the stat points that gave her. While she is kind of curious how the automatic allocation works, Krvavy would rather put them in herself. No need to risk feeling like she wasted a level up.

  Three points go into Dexterity, getting it to twenty-five, but the other two points... need a bit more thought. It probably wouldn’t hurt to boost her mental attributes a bit... and Perception seems like a good pce to start that. Maybe she would have noticed Beryl out there in the forest if her stats were a bit higher...? Either way, it should still be helpful when she goes out hunting. So Perception it is.

  Dexterous Defender I: Increases Dexterity by 5%, strengthens the effect it has on Stamina Regeneration, & it now affects Total Stamina. Associated attribute = Dexterity.

  Not a bad new trait by any means, but Krvavy doesn’t really need more stamina. It would have been nice if it added to her health instead, but beggars can’t be choosers.

  With that dealt with, Krvavy quickly passes through the not entirely illusionary wall that separates her respawn point from... the rest of reality. She can already hear a commotion down in the living area before she has even made it back to the path.

  “Knife-eared wench! You are not listening to me! Agh!” Thea’s loud and more or less shouted voice is full of exasperation. “I am being held captive! I do not want to be here!”

  “Ach, Ah ‘eard ya. And Ah stick to what Ah said. This pce is a paradise, full o’ beauty.” Beryl calmly responds. “Just ‘ow could ya not want ta be ‘ere?”

  “YOU!” Thea furiously shouts, pointing her finger at Krvavy as soon as she sees the barbarian. “What sort of madwoman have you brought here?! Why is this Elf refusing to rescue me?! Who even is she?!”

  “Beryl Woodswalker, pleasure ta make yer acquaintance.” The Wood Elf politely curtsies, grinning all the while.

  “I DO NOT CARE!” Thea screams at that, shaking furiously in her bnkets. “AAGH!”

  “Dearest love, ya didn’t tell me yer Human was so disrespectful!” Beryl comments, acting a bit scandalized as she brings a hand up to hide her smiling mouth.

  “WHAT?! ‘Dearest love’?! Are you insane?! What could you possibly love about that irredeemable savage?!” The bratty noble spews out, trembling with impotent rage. “She is a filthborne beast! Rapist! Vile animal!”

  Beryl’s eyes narrow, gring at the impudent brat as she sidles up to Krvavy, pressing herself against the barbarian’s ever so slightly sooty side. “Show some respect, she is ah-maze-in’! This mighty and magnificent woman, who ya call a savage, saved me from a fate worse than death earlier today! She valiantly defeated a dastardly vilin wit’ a single strike, cleaving ‘is head in twain! Oh, Ah only had ta y eyes on my wonderful Dragon ta fall fer ‘er~!”

  “THAT BEAST BITCH HERSELF IS A VILLAIN!” Thea screams in absolute fury and frustration. “Are you Elves not supposed to have standards?! Or are you one of those tree hugging, animal ‘loving’ ones?! How could you ever fall in love with a monster like that thing?!”

  “Shut yer mouth, child.” Beryl coldly spits back with such intensity that Thea flinches. “This most wonderful woman is no monster! She is greater than any o’ ya filthy upstart insects tha’ call yerselves Humans! She has the blood o’ Dragons flowin’ through ‘er veins! She is a force o’ nature, not a blight upon the world like yer kind!”

  “Tree hugging crone! Arrogant has-been!” Pushed way beyond her limit, the bratty noble resorts to simply hurling insults. “You Elves live for centuries, yet accomplish nothing with your lives! A single Human does more in a year than you zy yabouts do in a lifetime!”

  “Ah’m no crone. Ah’m only one hundred and sixty-seven summers.” Beryl says, more to Krvavy than anyone else. “Give or take a few. Ya lose track after a century or so.” She idly shakes her head. “And in tha’ time Ah’ve seen all the world ‘as ta offer, good and bad. Ah’ve met people Ah wish Ah ‘ad never met. Ah’ve lost people Ah wish Ah ‘ad never lost. So what ‘ave ya done this past year?”

  “I...! Pfph! You...!” Thea indignantly sputters for a few seconds before finally finding her words. “I have been kidnapped and held captive against my will! I was supposed to marry a Duke to secure an alliance and prevent a war!”

  “Ahhh... So nothin’.” The tanned tomboy bnkly states. “Ya’ve done nothin’. Like all o’ yer kind. Ya Humans toil away in mud and filth, wastin’ yer lives and doing yer ‘ardest ta make sure that no other Human can rise out o’ that filth.”

  “Lowborn dew drinker! Peasant! Pauper!”

  “What a silly little girl ya are. Pauper. Those tha’ poor... they didn’t exist before yer kind.” Beryl sagely states, staring down the brat. “Elves in our nds are never without ‘ome or food. Even Orcs, cruel as they are, are much the same. They care fer their own. From what Ah know, so too do the drake-blooded peoples o’ this ah-maze-in’ woman ‘ere.”

  “You arrogant floozy! Do you even know what that filthborne beast really is?! She’s no wo–”

  “Enough! Ah’ll hear no more insults towards my love! Ya should show ‘er gratitude fer saving ya from a life o’ doing nothin’! Fer bringing ya ta this paradise! Fer lettin’ ya live free from the city’s filth!” Beryl harshly scolds the bratty noble.

  “WHAT?! GRATITUDE!?” Thea incredulously calls out. “You really are insane! Moss-brained crone! Beast lovi–!”

  “Alright, that’s enough.” Krvavy firmly interjects. It was fun watching these two interact at first, but that is starting to drag on now. “Beryl, this here is my Orc. Isn’t she sweet?”

  “Aye, she is much kinder than yer other girl~!” Beryl ughs, giving the fuming brat a bit of smug side eye. Thea mutters poisoned words beneath her breath, and goes completely ignored. “And Ah must say, she is rather fetchin’ fer an Orc. Ah’ve never seen one o’ ‘er kind look so peaceful... Does she ‘ave a name?”

  Krvavy simply shrugs. “I’d assume so. I never got it out of her though.”

  “Ach, so ya just call her Orc? That’s no good, my dearest love. Ya ‘ave got ta name ‘er!” The Wood Elf woman insists. Seeing Krvavy’s thoughtful expression, she quickly suggests a name. “Wha’ about Khalia? The Khal part sounds pretty Orcish ta me, but the rest o’ the name is like Dahlia, the flower.”

  “Khalia... Kh-ahl-ee-ah...” Krvavy ponders. The name does sound rather nice... “Alright, she can be Khalia.” At least until she wakes up and can give her actual name...

  Beryl nods proudly at that, before biting her bottom lip. “Now that we’re ‘ome, how about Ah show ya some more o’ myself~? Like Ah promised earlier~?” Her hands trail along her wooden armour, pawing at the knots and straps holding it all together.

  Arousal immediately shoots through Krvavy’s body. She can’t help it. She hasn’t gotten off all day. But there is one more thing that she has to do before... indulging... in those urges.

  “Just... give me a minute first. See this ledge here? I’ve been trying to close it off a bit to make it safer, and so it this feels more like a home.” Krvavy steps towards the edge of the ptform, pcing her hand on the rudimentary railing and using Sculpt Stone to extend it even further. “It’s just taking a while. This uses a lot of Mana and I don’t have all that much of it

  “Oh~!” The Wood Elf almost moans at that dispy. “My dearest love, ya keep surprisin’ me~! Earth magic! Oh, ‘ow grand~! Ya are so talented~!”

  Having finished her quick work, draining her Mana completely, Krvavy turns back to her lovingly cooing Elf. In doing so she can’t help but see Thea off to the side, eyes rolling in annoyance as that girl just generally pouts. That beautiful brat always looks so cute when she does that...

  “There.” Krvavy shakes her head. It is time to focus on her new tomboyish Elf. “Let’s... let’s take this down to the hot springs. You can have the bath that you wanted.” And Thea will get some space. No need to harass the poor girl so much.

  Beryl’s eyes light up and her face flushes in anticipation. “Oh, ‘ow wonderful~! Ah’d love tha’~!”

  Happily grabbing onto Krvavy’s hand, Beryl half follows and half leads her down the path, heading away from the bratty noble.

  A carefree smile makes its way onto the barbarians face, drawn out by this Elf’s eagerness.