The Journey!

Caleb reached the front door and pulled it open.

He called out, "Amanda!"

Amanda laid on her bed, curled up like a bean. At the sound of his voice, she stopped crying. He came back!

"Caleb!"

They hugged and enjoyed their reunion. Caleb brushed the hair from her puffy red eyes and smiled. He tightly clasped her hand in his. It seemed that Amanda didn't notice his nudity...

"I'm sorry, Caleb. I won't throw anything at you ever again! I promise! So, please… Don't leave me alone."

She looked up, searching his face for signs of anger or hate. His face stayed loving, as he smiled and his eyes twinkled. Caleb and Amanda started glowing.

"No, I'm sorry for leaving you alone. I really should start helping you out. Mom would've liked us to be there for each other."

Caleb held her head under his chin as vibrantly spring green strands of light exited the tattooed design on his chest. A bond tied the two together when a similarly intricate design formed over Amanda's heart. Their hearts connected and vitality flowed from the air to reinforce her body. The impurities inside her body dissipated with the outdoor wind.

Despite both being filled with vitality, their appearances only slightly changed to more babyish features. Amanda looked like a plain girl as much as Caleb looked like a plain boy. Their lack of disfigurement or signs of hardships made the two attractive in a time period filled with harsh survival and work.

"Why do I feel so good?" Amanda ask, surprised at her transformation.

"Ah! I forgot to tell you that I found an ancient domed ruins while I was gone…"

"Wait, you're naked!?"

"I-I can explain…"

They entered their small home and shut out the World as Caleb talked.

"...and then I ran away like my *ss was on fire! I hope I never see her again!"

Caleb dressed in some newly dried clothes and helped Amanda cook breakfast. They sat beside each other and held hands. He took special interest in rubbing her now soft fingers.

Amanda nodded and rested her head on his shoulder.

"If we see her again, you better knock her an inch into the grave! Pow! Right in the face!"

She mimed the delivery of smackdown!

Caleb laughed and said, "I'll do you one better and bury her back underground, where she belongs!"

He finished chewing and swallowed. The moment passed in uneventful bliss, but Caleb's face turned serious.

"We have all the vitality that we could ever want. Do you really want to join one of those Tao Sects? They're always troublesome and focus on hierarchy. What if they split us apart? What if, one day, the Village is dragged into chaos because of their greed? What if they ruin us?"

Amanda laughed at his worries.

"The Mainland has more ruthless people. Don't believe that all Sects are bad. Haven't we heard stories of their kindness from other villages? You really should be more trusting of people."

Caleb frowned.

"But that's just it— they're just stories. Have we seen their actions firsthand? What if they're deceiving us? It's worse now that we acquired an inheritance! Those people look scrupulous, but they're definitely thinking of a way to scam us!

We have this Village as our home now, but they will take us away! If we refuse, they might take one of the villagers hostage! All kinds of things can happen if we stay here or get their attention. I thought our happiness mattered the most, so why do we need more people?"

Amanda sighed, but nodded.

"You're paranoid, but you're right that we wouldn't be able to meet with our Aunties, Uncles, friends, and the rest of the Village for a long time. The Sects are clear about separating Mortals from Immortals. Actually, I'm more scared of that woman finding us here! I don't want to see that pervert if we can prevent it."

Of course, Amanda was not totally honest… Caleb lived in the Neeman Village for so long, but he never went out of the house after his father disappeared eight years ago. Caleb never greeted the Aunties tanning hides or making clothes. Caleb never talked to the Uncles butchering meat, hunting prey, or farming crops. Caleb never saw the children of the Village, whose eyes filled with excitement when they heard about the Tao Sects.

Caleb didn't leave the house to see what the Villagers had done for them since their mother died. Caleb stayed aloof and stuck in his room. Even when comparing the value of the Village to Caleb… Amanda felt attached to her hometown. How could she not feel heartache at never seeing their faces again?

Still, the two decided to leave the Village and find a home far removed from the World! There wasn't a reason to seek power if they couldn't bring back their parents and if they already obtained an ancient power! There wasn't a reason to live moping about others when they had each other! This was what convinced Amanda.

So, Caleb bagged his flute, blanket, pillow, clothes, and other essentials and carried it in a large bag. Amanda nagged him for leaving out several items, but he ignored her like usual…

After they wrote a letter addressing the villagers, they stood in front of their parents' graves. Caleb's heart collapsed in on itself and tears filled his eyes.

"Mom, I'm sorry for not talking to you for so long. I'm sorry for not helping Amanda. I'm sorry for never doing anything to make you proud. Please, forgive me. We've been blessed by fate, but to protect our happiness, we have to run away. I hope we can have your blessing, too."

Caleb bowed and then laid a rough carving of his mother by the headstone.

"I made this long ago, but I couldn't bring myself to confront you for what I've done."

Amanda held his shoulder and nodded. She bowed and then laid down newly plucked peonies. They spent a long time in silence, reflecting over the past years.

Eventually, they left behind else everything, unable to say their final farewells to the Village in person.

Behind them, a naked woman stalked between the leaves...

/—/—/—/—/

Elsewhere, a ragtag group of men marched towards Neeman Village from the other side that the Tao Sects traveled.

"Hey, Boss. Are you sure there's going to be jobs for us? I heard the Tao Sects have high standards," said a hairy and stinky man.

"Yeah, Boss. We're homeless and have no work experience. All we live off every day are scraps, some berries if we're lucky, and grass. Always boiled grass!"

"I gotta agree, Boss. I don't even have a whole left hand. Who wants crippled hobos?"

"What about me!? I got a drooling problem. People always say that I look like a pervert!"

"Then stop being a pervert! You can't say you don't look like one if you are one!"

"Stop complaining and trust me, guys! Taoists always look for talent or hard work. They will never overlook the possibility of finding a diamond in the rough. These disciples want to rope in as many people as possible to work for them! That's how their contribution works!"

"I dunno, Boss."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I don't think we can even physically work. Our bodies are too weak."

Boss clicked his tongue, "Tsk! Don't be idiots! People who have resources and power need servants to do the dirty work! They want to look good in front of their peers and the public!"

"What's a 'peer?' Are you making up things again, Boss? You can just tell us if you don't know."

Boss felt like spitting in his face.

"Just keep moving! We don't have food either way, so we can get some from the Village if we get rejected."

"You're talkin' like we weren't kicked out of all those other Villages…"

"Tsk!"

The men complained more as their bellies and feet ached. As the crested the hill, they saw a small fence and some fields in the distance. Further in the distance, they saw houses. A man and a woman walked towards them, carrying large bags on their backs.

"Oh!"

"There it is!"

"We might get some real food!"

"I don't care if I have to lick my master's feet clean! I'm desperate just for a piece of bread!"

The men hobbled forwards, ignoring the large stretches of Woods around them. One man stopped in the middle of dragging his deformed leg. He started pointed his finger as his mouth dropped open.

"Hey guys, do you see that naked woman?"

"Shut up, Bill!"

"Stop lying! We're not stupid enough to look for imaginary things!"

"Keep moving forwards!"

"For food! For water!"

"Go, guys! We're almost there!"

Bill looked at his deadset friends still making their way to the Village.

"B-but, there's really a naked woman there! She's so f**king beautiful!"

The woman curled her finger at Bill.

"I think she wants me! Hey! Look! I can't be imagining this!"

"Aw, shut it, you crazy b*stard! Stop thinking horny thoughts or the Taoists really will kick us out!"

Bill frowned, but then smiled.

"Fine! She's all mine! I bet she's a Forest Fairy, come to bless me! I'm coming for you, Lovely! Wait up!"

Bill yelled after the naked woman and sped quickly into the Woods. His presence disappeared without his friends caring.

"Dear Lady! Your beauty is greater than water to a thirsty traveler in the desert! Your prettiness is greater than meat to a starving traveler in a famine! Your—"

The woman put a finger to her lips. Bill shut his mouth and started catching up to her. He followed her and finally spoke again when she slowed down.

"Ah, I'm sorry for taking so long, Lady! Did you need something from me? I may look like a bum, but I am a man!" Bill bluffed.

He puffed out his chest, but his skinny body caused the action to barely make a difference. The woman giggled, stopping just short of a boulder. She brushed back her platinum blond hair and used her arm to, ahem, emphasize her, ahem, assets.

"I know, I'm different from all those other guys. You chose the right guy for the job! If you want what I think you're wanting, I'm packing."

The woman licked her lips as she saw the mast on his ship break out the mainsail.

"Oh, Lady! I promise serve you this fine morning…"

Bill dropped his clothes and embraced the woman in his arms. Because of his shortened leg, he could lick the woman's ear and whisper flirtatiously without bending down.

"Ahahaha… Oh? That tickles!"

The woman's tongue danced like a snake around his neck and coated it in saliva. Her pointy fangs extended and she breathed faster. Her face flushed.

Bill's wooden mast slapped wetly against her harbor. He pushed her up against the boulder.

"Are you ready? Ah, it feels like it, so I'm entering…"

Bill began docking just as the woman sank her fangs deep into his neck!

"Oh, yeah! Lady, this wasn't your first time, was it?"

Bill continued docking starboard side as he bounced her up and down on his good leg. The woman sucked out his blood, draining his vitality rapidly and replacing it with her absorptive power in her saliva!

"Ah… I'm… feeling… tired…"

Bill slowed down and fell limp onto the woman after one final thrust emptied his load. She lapped up the remnants of blood from his skin and grinned as she pushed him off of her.

She slowly spoke, "So… this… is… their… lang… uage…"

She draped his shirt over her smaller frame and tossed his pants over his legs.

"Get… up. We're… leaving."

Bill's body twitched as faint tendrils of vitality drained from the grass he touched.

"Hear…me? Let's… go!" she shouted.

What she didn't expect was that Bill didn't listen to her. The plantlife rapidly withered away as Bill's body became a nonstop drain! His body transformed into a field of vitality and absorption! He became a vampire!

"Are you… deaf?! Answer me!"

An array of intersecting and parallel lines appeared over Bill's heart, connecting him to the woman! A bottleneck limited Bill's absorption, but the bond strengthened!

"I-Impossible!"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, pretty lady. I swear I don't fall asleep after I get off! It's, um, uh… I get tired. But don't worry about it! We can go round two now! Ooooo. I really feel energized!"

Bill grabbed her leg and pulled her down. She couldn't control him!

"What are you do—?"

Bill deeply kissed her, invading her mouth like a pirate searching for some booty! Speaking of booty… His grabby hands slid down her body.

"I can go all day, baby," he whispered huskily in her ear.

Suffice to say, she screamed.

/—/—/—/—/

"Do you hear that, guys?"

The group of men all stopped. They cupped their ears and heard more screams.

"Yeah!"

"We heard, Boss!"

"Sounded like a woman!"

The dirty, starving, thirsty, and crippled men looked back where they came from.

"Hey, where's Bill?"

"Now that you say that, I don't know!"

"You think he wasn't talking bullsh*t again?"

"It really does sound like a woman."

"F*ck! Is he really getting Fairy p*ssy?"

"Mother of All Above…"

"Why him!? I'm better looking and more experienced!"

"Yeah, tell yourself that. You're not the one who has to deal with looking at your face."

Caleb and Amanda walked over to the men.

"We heard screams. What's up with that?" he asked.

Boss grunted and said, "F*ck if I know. Our buddy Bill went missing after chasing a naked Fairy. That must be the sound of him f*cking out her brains. He's 'packing' a lot, if you know what I mean."

He winked and then motioned for the others to move on. The grungy men continued to the Village.

"The World is a big place…" Amanda muttered.

Caleb replied, "Yeah, but there's only one of you."

"Aww…"

Caleb and Amanda held hands as they moved along the dirt path. The screaming woman? Well, it wasn't their problem!