He looked back up again, watching the fleeing soldiers disappear over the horizon.
'That wasn't so bad after all...' He thought as Raizel's voice sounded for the first time in a while; her sweet voice seemed to soothe the strange feeling that ate away at Vincent's chest, that strange desire to kill, violate and devoir like a beast devoid of any thoughts, only acting instinct.
'You're getting better at this whole fighting thing....'
'No longer letting them live out of naive thoughts, but Vincent... is something wrong recently? Your spirit world has been oddly gloomy and filled with a very unstable feeling since the day you slept with that woman.'
Raizels voice seemed a little jealous, her milky tone almost wrapping around his ears as the feeling in his chest faded completely as he began to converse with Raizel.
That woman was Silvari, and it seemed that Raizel saw her as a rival now, which was nice before, Raizel was always a little detached from the other girls; However, she would join in and take part; there were almost invisible walls that blocked her feelings and thoughts, and now even Vincent could understand her thoughts.
Confusion, worry, anxiety, jealousy and loneliness... leaked from her almost naturally now.
'This cute little drill-haired spear...'
Vincent smiled slightly, turning away from the bodies littering the field and walking slowly across the grassy plains. The sun was setting behind him now, casting long shadows upon the land. A few more steps took him past the corpses of those who had fallen earlier, but there weren't any more around here. They'd run off somewhere else.
It would get dark soon, and he needed to find shelter. There might even be some food nearby!
"Mel, Titania, can you take the others to the carriage or find a house we can use for the night? I don't think the residents will return, but choose an inn if possible; I want some time alone to think... and look for anything we can still use.
His stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him how hungry he was.
As the night began to fall, Vincent walked aimlessly through the forested lands surrounding the battlefield, following what little trail remained visible amongst the tall trees. As darkness fell completely, he found an old abandoned barn and decided to check for anything interesting.
After a quick search, Vincent located a small stash of supplies hidden inside one of the haylofts. After filling his pack with bread, cheese, salted meat and a bottle of wine, he climbed back down into the main room of the barn.
With a sigh, Vincent pulled the door shut, locking it tight. He didn't want anyone coming along and joining him. Not yet, anyway.
His hunger was still gnawing on his insides, making him feel sicker than ever. He couldn't wait until morning when he could eat properly. And sleep too. If only I could avoid being attacked by bandits or monsters during the night...
With a yawn, Vincent lay flat onto a pile of straw in the corner, pulling his cloak tightly about his shoulders against the cold air.
He wasn't tired but wanted to take a rest; Vincent summoned Raizel; this time, her beautiful pale face, long twisting blonde drills and crimson eyes appeared, her body landing on the straw with a rustling sound before she placed down a black blanket, which seemed to be the one from Vincent's room that he always slept on, her body seemed to have matured, now with more meaty thighs, a plump chest rather than the modest one earlier, this made Vincent realise that he forgot she would grow stronger along with him slowly.
"Raizel?"
"Shhhh..."
Before he could even speak another word, her long delicate finger pressed against his pink lips, squishing them flat as she guided his head towards her soft, pillow thighs, sinking slightly into them as his eyes closed for a moment, the sensation of that feeling being quelled was even greater when sleeping directly on her thighs.
A gentle hum began to sound from Raizel's lips; Vincent realised just how sleepy he was, fading into a deep slumber in a few moments, his soft breaths adding to the cosy barn ambient sound.
'There is a foul curse resting within his soul, the connection of blood isn't there, but something links the caster and Vincent... it's so deep... If I wasn't beside him now... would he already be killing those girls? Maybe they would get lucky and not die but be ravished by him...'
The crimson eyes of Raizel began to glow in the darkness, her hand swaying in the air as the small torch in the barn died out, leaving the pair in the darkness, Vincent laying on her thighs with a lap pillow. At the same time, Raizel watched the darkness, the same madness and chaotic emotions flowing through them.
"It's okay, Master... Rest easy and pass your burdens to me, if only for a moment; I won't break from these feelings." Raizels whisper sounded in the dark, like a gentle lullaby, as his snores grew louder, softly stroking her fingers through his hair with a faint smile on her lips. "I'll protect you, Master... Just let go..."
Her words echoed throughout the barn, echoing through the empty silence, as the warm breath of the young mage filled the space between their two bodies, his heart beating faster with each passing second, his mind drifting further and further away as Raizel gently caressed his cheek with her fingertips.
And then, she kissed him.
A sudden burst of light blinded Vincent as he awoke, blinking rapidly as his vision cleared. It felt like he hadn't slept for days, maybe weeks. But nothing came to him, no matter how hard Vincent tried to remember where he was or why he woke up in such a place.
The straw was soft and warm, while a black blanket was wrapped around his body, the barn windows slightly ajar to allow some light to peek from the outside; despite feeling like this, his body was refreshed, filled with power and enthusiasm.
'When did I last sleep this well? Since before we began our journey, my body felt so nice... Where did Raizel go? At what point did I sleep?'
He couldn't remember as a knock sounded at the barn door, followed by a crisp and deep voice.
"Vincent, are you ready to depart? Mel'Zeth has gathered some things to travel, but this village... it's over; almost 70% of the goblins were slaughtered; the rest tried to flee but were chased by the rest of the mercenary group."
Titania gave him a briefing as he sorted his clothes and placed the blanket that smelt sweet, like a woman's scent; he decided to always use this blanket from now on. That scent soothed him, gentle but delightful like a mother's scent.
"Thank you, Titania. Let's get going then!"
They left the barn together, heading back towards the carriage and horses that waited patiently for them. With a wave goodbye to Titania, they rode off once more.
Their path led through fields of wheat and barley, with occasional villages scattered about the landscape. It looked like the war had yet to spread this far, and most residents were either goblins or orcs; although it seemed that the war wasn't unknown, most goblins didn't discriminate against demon-looking males like Vincent and his companions.
Some people waved cheerfully at Vincent, though most ignored him and kept working.
"Mel, how long would it take to arrive at your town at this rate?"
Vincent was sitting on the large sofa inside the carriage, his heart slowly began to feel those impulses like before, yet the scent of the quilt seemed to calm them ever so slightly. Thus he would sometimes place his palm to his face, allowing the quilt to appear, to take a scent to calm himself partially.
'I need to find a solution, or the reason for this strange situation...' Vincent thought, while Mel'Zel leaned against his left and Titania to his right, Efrita still spent most of the time with Silvari, while the trio of madness were colouring on the floor making strange drawings and shapes sometimes speaking a strange, made-up language between themselves.
Tama wanted to join first but then got bored and began to tease Momo as the two sat in the driver's cabin; they were a similar age and began to hit it off after they fought together in the goblin village.
Not long after, Zarina began to spend time with the three, soon a soft laughter as the three girls became friends began to sound in Vincent's head as he could hear them speaking about small topics, his worry for the women around him slowly fading as they all began to make their groups of three or more people.
'I'm glad Momo can make friends, same for Tama. They both seemed rather lonely, and neither Samira nor Vera was the right age or mental age to give her the company they needed.' Vincent thought, smiling as he recalled the times he played with the children at home.
"Mn... We should arrive by tonight or morning at the earliest; my hometown is southwest of the capital, so we can either detour through the capital or go straight to my home?" Mel wanted to go home, her worry about the border towns was great, and she was close to the human/elven border and thus might have high chances of combat soon.
Her tribe were very combative, after all.
"If we're taking a direct route, I suggest we visit my family first. My mother used to own a shop selling weapons, but now she works in the army as an officer. She may know someone who knows something useful."
"That sounds good. I hope she doesn't blame us for the death toll in the goblin village..." Vincent thought,
"Oh, I doubt she blames you for much. You've been doing well, haven't you? Besides, you saved stopped those mercenaries and should have saved many goblins in the future, including many women and children."
Mel nodded happily.
"Indeed. She'll happily see you again, especially since you've grown so big and talented." Vincent whispered, his fingers stroking through her hair with a gentle smile.
"Yes, yes! Thank you, Master!"
She kissed his cheek with a delighted smile, happy that he even chose to rush here for her sake; her actions caused Vincent to laugh lightly.
"Don't thank me; I barely did anything. All credit goes to you."
Mel blushed deeply at his compliment but then remembered something important.
"...Darling, do you think I am pretty?"
Vincent blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. 'What kind of question is that?! Of course, you are! What sort of answer does she expect?'
But he knew better than to lie.
"Of course, you're beautiful, Mel'Zel. Why wouldn't you be?"
Mel smiled brightly and hugged Vincent tightly as he returned her embrace lovingly; she felt safe and protected in his arms, and his warmth calmed her nerves. Her cheeks flushed redder than ever as she heard his heartbeat speed up, matching hers.
'I just don't want you to be charmed by my sisters and mother... their skin is so much darker and a perfect shade of green... I am a defective olive skin.... '
Feeling a little insecure, Mel nustled her face into his chest, kissing him several times as she hugged him tightly. On the other side, Titania was silent, her arm wrapped around Vincent as she rested her head on his other shoulder, enjoying the cute conversation he had had with Mel'Zeth.
"You smell nice, too~."
"Idiot..." Vincent said, squishing her nose with his thumb.
She giggled cutely as he chuckled, holding her closer as she rested her head against his shoulder. The carriage slowed as they reached the city's outskirts and finally arrived at Mel'Zel's hometown.
The town was quiet, with hardly any signs of life, save for the occasional person walking down the street carrying goods or supplies. There weren't many buildings, only a few houses and shops lining the streets, with most of the population living in the nearby forest.
As the carriage passed through the town's gates, a tall man wearing armour approached them, stopping them with a raised hand. He wore a helmet under his chin, hiding his face entirely except for a single eye hole.
"Welcome to Mel'Zal, citizens. Please state your business."
"Eh?"
Vincent was stunned by the town's name, then wondered if the first name of goblins might be related to their hometown or birthplace with Mel'Zeth's tribe; she took his hand and pulled him towards the carriage exit, her beaming as she recognised the voice.
"It's uncle Darius!"
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m