Cave’s Closed [ * ]

Making use of my newly gained mobility, I waste no time and dive into the same opening as Cornelia did. Surprisingly, the underwater tunnel isn't completely dark. It seems like there's more to them than I would have thought. I'm sure it's partially thanks to the skill we both have borrowed from Meru. My eyes can see quite far and without any issues.

Besides that aspect, the other reason for it is certainly related to the irregularly spaced glowing crystals. The small, fist-sized orbs embedded in the passage's walls illuminate its interiors just a little bit. A slight rainbow fills the tunnel as I swim through it at a decently fast pace, creating a mystical atmosphere. Too bad only someone able to remain underwater for longer periods of time can experience this wonder.

But, I don't have enough leeway to daydream. We are in a race, with the fate of my butt at stake. If I don't hurry up, I'll have to wear quite an unusual accessory for a day or two. I'm sure Cornelia would love to see it, though. That cursed closet pervert.

Thankfully, with the deep bond between us, I can sense her presence with extreme detail, which allows me to pursue her without getting lost. I pass a few underwater intersections and soon catch the sight of a very appealing naked woman exercising her entire body to propel herself forward. She's caught up on it quite fast.

Pushing myself even further, I arrive by her side and land a juicy slap on Cornelia's butt. She yelps in surprise and her head snaps to mine as she continues rushing ahead. We smirk at each other and try to gain some advantage but remain more or less shoulder-to-shoulder. It's certainly a beautiful view by my side, to be honest.

We both notice the tunnel widening at the same time. With neither of us aiming to lose to the other one, we look ahead and put our all into reaching the end of this race track in the first place. There are a few stone obstacles and protrusions on our path, constantly forcing us to move around and pass by each other, depending on luck.

Finally, the water brightens with a familiar, warm light, and we lock gazes once more, perfectly aware that we are on the last straight. Cornelia flaps her legs strongly to rush forward but I catch her ankle before she gets away. With a surprised gasp, she watches how I shove her to the back while pushing myself ahead. Some unintelligible curses reach my ears as she tries her best to stop spinning uncontrollably, making me chuckle.

Swimming into the open space as the first person, I retain the accumulated speed and break through the water's surface with a loud splash. Quickly locating the nearby ledge while mid-air, I land on it with a little stumble, making sure that I don't slip and fall back down.

Another splash soon echoes through the chamber as Cornelia attempts to mimic me but starts to panic after sending herself a bit too high into the air. I hastily turn around and catch the falling beauty into my arms. With an adorable oomph, she drops into my princess carry. Our eyes meet and we laugh together as I help her stand.

"Damn it. I almost had it." Cornelia clicks her tongue, still resting on my chest. "This entire thing was unfair from the beginning. You have much greater manoeuvrability thanks to your additional rudder."

I chuckle lightly as she gives my hard member a few pokes. "I bet it must be tough trying to swim fast with those two, perky buoys."

She giggles too as I gently squeeze her magnificent breasts. "Being a woman is such a huge disadvantage."

After sharing one more laugh, we glance around.

"So, we ended up back here after all of this," Cornelia mutters.

"Those tunnels were quite twisty and convoluted so it's not that big of a surprise," I reply, nodding my head.

We are now standing on the very same ledge we've started from. The paths we took led us in a circle and brought us back to the starting point, spewing us out of a different hole than the one we dove into. I now wonder if all the passages return here or if there maybe is some secret chamber at the end of one of them.

I hear Cornelia sigh and glance at her. A faint trace of a mild blush taints her cheeks. I smirk at her somewhat shy expression.

"No matter what, I lost the bet. What a shame. I should have frozen the tunnel when I had the chance. It's only occurring to me now," she says.

"Yeah. I would have stood no chance if you used your magic to slow me down. I guess I somewhat cheated by grabbing you at the very end if it was supposed to be a clean race."

She shakes her head. "No, I haven't mentioned anything about that. Rules are rules."

Touching the piece of crystal hanging from her neck, she summons something from the spatial storage imbued into her collar. I don't need to look for long to realise that she's brought out a silvery buttplug with a pretty, amethyst gem on its decorative end.

"Why I'm not surprised that you would have one on yourself?" I chuckle at her and the rosy shade on her cheeks deepens even more. "Are you going to put it in already?"

"Shut it or I'm going to change my mind." She jabs me with her elbow.

I fully expected Cornelia to either ask me to turn around or to slip the buttplug in with her front positioned towards me, but contrary to all my expectations, she is the one to turn around and arch her back a little bit, just enough to push her plump butt out. Looking at me over her shoulder, she uses one hand to spread her cheeks, showcasing her everything to me, and the other to slowly push the lewd piece into her back entrance. I watch her nibble on her lower lip as it gradually sinks behind her tight ring and she sighs blissfully after it fully locks in.

"It looks cute on you," I comment with a mischievous smile.

She squints at me for a moment and chuckles, standing upright. Giving her butt a few jiggles, she turns around with a smile too and returns to my side. I pull her closer and place a gentle kiss on her sweet lips, enjoying the tender sensation of her soft breasts pressing into me. Cornelia lets out a little gasp as I poke the gem sealing one of her holes and she swats my jaw playfully.

"Don't get any ideas. We came here to train," she whispers into my ear.

"Will you be able to focus with that thing serving as a distraction?" I raise a curious brow at her.

"There's only one way to check."

Showing a wolfish grin, Cornelia suddenly wraps her arms around my waist and hoists us over the edge. We fall back into the beautiful pool and I hear her giggle next to me after we end up underwater. She lets go of me and we create some distance between ourselves.

"So, I'm certainly doing well with swimming. It looks like we can also talk more or less normally for some reason," she says, rubbing her chin.

"Must be something related to this entire adaptation thing. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that underwater species are able to both send out and receive vibrations differently than we do in the open air," I share my thoughts. "Now, what about your magic?"

"Let's see."

She extends her hand forward, and almost instantly, three elaborate ice spears form above her. It takes less than a second for them to be fully finished and ready for action, perhaps something close to a half even. Cornelia looks unbelievably shocked.

"That's… incredible," she comments in awe. "The speed, efficiency, and quality are quite unimaginable."

"Well, we are surrounded by water so that's to be expected." I chuckle softly. "I bet you are skipping a bunch of steps in the creation of those. That's good news."

She tries to lead the three javelins around just like she would outside of the water and they do follow her instructions seemingly well. They zoom back and forth at different speeds, trace circles, patterns, and other moves until she sends them flying as fast as she can and they pierce deep into the nearby wall.

"It takes a bit more effort to control them but that's granted considering the difference in resistance. It shouldn't take me long to get used to it." She creates one more batch of ice javelins.

"Good. Since I will be using my borrowing skills on this ability, I won't be able to help you guys with any magic that isn't part of my skillset by default," I reply.

Cornelia shakes her head with a gentle smile. "With that demigod body and stats of yours, I feel like you will explode the Sahuagins with a single punch while not receiving even a scratch."

The image created by her comment plays quite vividly in my mind, reminding me of a very fun and decently popular franchise with a similar theme. Hopefully, I won't go bald at one point on my path to becoming stronger. Lumina didn't mention anything like that but who knows?

"We shall see. I do have a very versatile weapon so it shouldn't be an issue. Any other spells you have in mind that we could test?"

Getting rid of the new ice spears, she nods and closes her eyes to focus. I spot a flash of azure between her palms she holds close to each other and immediately push myself away as a chill runs down my spine. An ice sphere appears around Cornelia in a split second and pulses strongly. Sharp spikes expand from it and almost skewer me, turning the created barrier into something akin to the head of the morningstar.

"At least I don't have to worry too much about your safety." I chuckle wryly.

She answers with a soft laugh of her own and the protective-offensive layer shatters into pieces. They fall down, revealing my smart and beautiful magician just where she has been before activating the spell.

"Neira was right. My magic is a lot stronger like this. Just the quicker activation is a big deal on its own. With this, I won't drag you down too much."

I swim close to her and embrace Cornelia from the front. "Don't say such things. You would never be dragging us down. You shouldn't compare yourself to me and you know it. I'm a monster the Goddess created by accident."

Cornelia snorts and the corner of her lips curls up in a faint smirk. "That is certainly true. You are quite a monster. Especially in bed."

I roll my eyes at her and smile back. "What about that passive of yours? Coldblooded? I wonder how much stronger it makes you if you even can activate it while under the effect of Underwater Adaptation."

"Good thinking. In case it freezes me solid, I count on you to drag me back up from the bottom of this hole." She smirks at me.

Nodding, I give her some space again and Cornelia activates her ability. Her skin turns light blue and her hair takes a mesmerising, white shade. Just like in the past, her eyes switch to crystal blue too. I get close enough to touch her body and confirm that she's cold as hell now. It doesn't seem to affect the water and I don't see any complications.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Good. A bit better than without it, actually. The temperature doesn't bother me in the slightest anymore. I might use it all the time while we are in the sea." She examines herself thoroughly. "Time to check the results."

She snaps her fingers and the three javelins literally blink into existence. It feels like they materialize out of thin air, or out of thin water in this case, faster than our eyes can perceive them. Considering that our senses are decently sharper than that of normal Humans, that's quite an achievement.

Then, Cornelia tries out the spiky barrier once more and it just pops in like someone spawning a completed model into the game with a console command. It's not there, and then suddenly it is. Though I have no doubts that the spikes expanded just like before and they would have speared into anything on their path quicker than that anything could react.

"Shit. That's fast. It feels so weird to have my magic activate so quickly. It's almost as if I literally will it into existence. The spell takes effect right the moment I start casting it, not end," she explains her experiences.

"Awesome. And you worried so much. You will be the one to carry our asses in the end." I grin at her while crossing my arms over my chest.

Cornelia shows a dazzling smile and a little flush taints her cheeks. She swims up to me to leave a peck on my lips.

"It's been a long time since I felt like I could actually protect you. After that underground raid, you started growing strong so fast that you literally left me in the dust. Though, don't misunderstand, I don't mind you being stronger than me. It's just that I forgot that feeling."

I chuckle at her and kiss her on the forehead. "I get it. I appreciate you protecting the little weak me in the beginning. And now too. I feared that I wouldn't be able to protect you in turn so I'm glad how things turned out. We just have to protect each other and nothing will be able to get to us."

"If anything, you've always had a way with words." Cornelia winks at me.

After exchanging a few more kisses, we focus on testing out more of her magic. I mostly watch from the sidelines since many spells in Cornelia's arsenal grow in size and power underwater and I have to be extremely careful not to get caught in the blast. Her repertoire is very impressive, ranging from smaller, precise spells to grand, wide-range techniques that can easily eliminate big groups of enemies.

At the very end, we decide to see what she can do by unleashing a lot of mana while spinning it around herself like a tornado. For that, I jump out of the pool and observe from the ledge. And it's good that I do because the entire fucking thing ends up frozen solid in a matter of like two or three seconds, with the invasive frost creeping up the walls of the cavern. She's like a cryo nuclear bomb. Not much will be left after she detonates in the middle of some poor settlement.

But, the bad side of it is that she obviously gets locked inside all of that ice. Thankfully, she still has some control over it and gets out with my help as we carve and shatter a path through the steel-like frozen water. Nothing is perfect and without drawbacks in this world.

Since our test area ends up unusable anymore, we dismiss all the effects affecting our bodies and return to our normal states. The intense cold hits us almost immediately. I didn't even notice that using Underwater Adaptation from Meru dealt with the temperature to this extent too. My Primordial body certainly plays a role in it since Cornelia suffers much more while in her pure Human form.

Not wanting to spend hours bringing the hidden cavern to its initial state, we choose to dry ourselves up, get into our clothes, and head back home, leaving this issue for later. Apologies to any lovebirds that are going to come here after our visit. You will have to admire an ice ring for some time, at least until I send someone here to melt all this magical ice which is tougher than most minerals.

Our driver picks us up and we enjoy the pleasant ride home, talking some more about our discoveries and experiences. It's always good to discuss your skills, abilities, or magic with someone else as it lets you look at them from another perspective. We certainly learned a lot from today's date.

After getting back, we jump out of our clothes in the main lobby and my eyes lock on the cute, amethyst gem poking out from between Cornelia's cheeks. She sends me a timid glance after I grin at her. I wonder how she will explain this to the others as it certainly isn't that easy to hide. It suits her, though. I kind of want to yank it out and replace it with something she likes even more.

But, we split for now after sharing some more kisses and intimate rubs, heading to prepare for the journey. Everything should be ready in a few hours. We might even depart this evening. Since we will be covering some distance on the ship, there's no reason to wait exactly for the morning to begin the journey.

Therefore, while Cornelia takes the task to make sure that all the things in the establishment are taken care of upon herself, having in mind the absence of a few key people like me or her, I naturally focus my attention on tending to our expedition members and supplies.

I have a few things on the list related to that.

First, get the breathing artefacts from Sirgia. Second, get the skin care products from Velen and her team. And third, check on Mari and Nyfile as they mentioned preparing something for us too. It feels nice seeing all those departments working together like this. Who would have thought that our brothel would turn into something this complex and sophisticated?

Since there's a good chance that I will spend much more time with my lovely little Dwarf and the two pro seamstresses, I head to the underground lab before visiting either of them. Knocking on the almost air-tight metal door, I wait for someone to get me. Soon, the sealed entrance opens and Velen shows up on the other side, with her gaze briefly jumping to my treasure and back up.

"Welcome, Master. Please, come in. We have everything ready for you." She steps aside and gestures into the chamber.

"Glad to hear that. Master, though?" I raise a brow at her while passing the doorstep.

"Lord Jericho was my previous alchemical master but since I'm no longer directly under him, you are now technically my master. Besides, most of my current colleagues call you that so I guess I kind of picked it up from them," she explains, fixing her glasses.

"I see. Whatever you are comfortable with." I shrug and follow her to one of the counters in the far corner.

Besides our Chief Alchemist, there are a few other people in lab coats hanging around. I spot Dhosk, Meiya, Neiya, but also two Forest Elves. The latter seems to be mostly helping out but curiosity is clearly written all over their pretty faces.

Velen opens a few cupboards above the counter and starts bringing out small containers with yellow pills. Setting them down in a neat bundle, she turns to me.

"We first thought about having it come in the form of cream but application under the water would be somewhat troublesome. Therefore, we ended up with pills. One should easily protect the skin from the environment for at least twenty-four hours. Fifteen fit in one tube. They don't dissolve from anything else than saliva since they are coated with an additional, water-proof layer."

I uncork one of the containers and shake out a single pill. It's a flat and round tablet.

"Quite sizable," I comment.

"They aren't meant to be swallowed. You can just place one on your tongue and they will dissipate. That way we were able to fit an entire twenty-four-hour dose in one pill and eliminate the risk of choking in case someone would need to take the medicine in a tight spot," she explains.

"Very nice. You girls thought way ahead." I smile at her and put the pill back in. "I really appreciate your help. This certainly saved us quite a bit of money and also trouble. Let me know if I could do anything for you or the department as my thanks."

"Actually, there's something." Velen glances up at me, slightly hesitant.

"Great. How can I help?"

"If that would be okay, could I request some more of your… semen… Master? I wanted to run a few tests on it and didn't want to waste the stored amount reserved for the production of the Elixir."

"Oh. I mean, yeah, sure. I can bring it to you. No big deal." I rub the back of my neck.

"I wanted to get my hands on a batch as fresh as possible if that isn't an inconvenience," she replies and I catch her amber eyes skip to my waist.

"Uh, I guess? If you give me something to release it into."

She quickly pulls a glass chemical cylinder out of the inner pocket of her white coat and looks between it and my face, waiting for approval. I chuckle inwardly. She's clearly had her request planned.

I nod at Velen and reach for the container but she beats me to it and slowly lowers herself to her knees. Taking a peek at my face, she gently wraps the slender fingers of her left hand around my erect shaft and brings the open top of the cylinder close to my tip, starting to delicately knead me back and forth.

"You don't exactly have to do that, you know? I have pretty much full control over it and can let it out anytime," I inform the beautiful scientist.

"Oh." She pauses her movements for a few seconds but soon resumes them. "If it makes you uncomfortable, I can stop, but I don't mind doing it the proper way. I shouldn't expect to receive something without doing anything in exchange. That's one of the basic alchemy laws, and the natural order of this kind of thing."

She looks up at me with a faint blush on her light cheeks. I would have never thought someone would quote that particular rule in relation to a handjob. I guess it can be considered an equivalent exchange when she brings me to a climax to get my seed in return. What a world.

"But, I apologise. Since I need the sample to be clear of any external fluids and other factors, I can only employ this type of stimulation. Otherwise, I would certainly do better," she adds as the cute flush spreads over the bridge of her nose.

I chuckle softly and smile at the brown-haired beauty. "Trust me, you are doing great. It's very nice and pleasurable. I honestly didn't expect any of this. Just know that you don't need to go that far, alright? I could have very well rubbed one out for you. No need to get your hands dirty, or something else."

Velen gives me a subtle nod and moves her gaze to my cock, focusing all of her attention on it. I let the pleasure freely spread through my entire body and don't limit it to any extent. Velen's smooth fingers rub me gently from the base to the tip, giving me delicate squeezes and tugs now and then. She clearly isn't too experienced in this but still does her best to handle me well.

Perhaps out of habit, I reach out with one of my hands and brush through her brown locks, uncovering a little bit more of her face. When I realise what I'm doing, it's already too late. But, she doesn't seem to mind and even shows a barely noticeable smile, switching her gaze up and down a few times.

"Alright. Here it comes," I warn Velen to make sure she catches all of it.

She carefully aims my tip into the container and I release my load after she gives me a curt nod. A few quite abundant serpents of cloudy delicacy shoot into the measuring tube as she continues to rub me out, watching the semen leave my glans with the utmost attention.

Velen holds the container close for a few seconds after I'm fully done not to waste a single drop and then sets it aside. Instead of standing up, she draws the hair on the other side of her head back and leans forward. I'm surprised once more as she awkwardly takes my glans between her pouty lips and gently sucks on it. Her tongue tickles my tip for a bit and she soon draws herself back, observing my member to verify that she cleaned me all up.

With the rosy flush still decorating her charming face, she finally raises herself and puts the filled cup properly on the counter. She's acting quite composed and calm but the crimson shade betrays her slight embarrassment. What a cute sight.

"Thank you, Master. I'll make good use of this batch, I promise. I apologise if this appears rude, but I have to excuse myself to quickly begin my studies before too much time passes."

"No worries. I should be thanking you. That was a very pleasant handjob. If you ever need more batches, feel free to let me know. No need to be shy." I smile and gesture with my head at her to go do her research.

Velen makes a small, polite bow and hastily scurries away to a much better-equipped corner. There's no need for me to remain here and disturb the alchemists at work so I move out to take care of the second thing on my list, which is Sirgia's workshop.

As always, I reach her humble forge to the accompaniment of various metallic sounds and noises. But, my adorable, short wife pauses whatever she is doing the moment I enter and trots to me to give me a warm hug. I pat her head and embrace her lovingly with a big smile.

"I managed to finish the artefacts in time. Unfortunately, I'm still not done with Meru's actual trident. I decided not to overwork myself with it as you requested and just didn't have enough time," she says quietly after we separate.

"Good. You need to take proper care of yourself. I'm very happy." I peck her cheeks a few times, causing Sirgia to giggle adorably.

She then leads me to a storage room on the side and gives me a set of three breathing half-masks. They are a lot more streamlined when compared to the initial prototype. To some extent, they give off more sci-fi vibes rather than fantasy, but I guess that's magitech for you. I test them out in her presence and they all neatly adjust themselves to the wearer, not needing any strings or belts to hold on.

Very impressive.

I throw them into one of my storage rings and accompany Sirgia for a little while, helping her out with a chore or two. I always love to spend time with her in the forge. It brings back so many memories, even though it hasn't been that long since we even met. The sight of this cute Dwarf lady being in her little world of artefacts and magic is just too addicting and enchanting.

Then, I leave the master to her craft and walk to the workshop of our tailoring duo. This time, after I knock, someone actually answers and Mari shows up. Just like Velen, she immediately takes a peek at my proud manhood and blushes even fiercer than the alchemist lady. Letting out an awkward chuckle and unable not to stare, she invites me in and I follow her to the table in the middle.

"Just a little bit more and I won't be coming here to distract you like this." I smile at her as she starts cleaning the table up a little.

"Hahahaha, it's nothing! I admit that it's a tiny bit eye-catching but it's alright if you are fine with me staring, hahaha!" She laughs it off like the lively tomboy that she is.

"You can look as much as you want. It's on the display, in the end." I join her with my own chuckle.

"Anyway, let me show you something good too."

"Oh? Am I showing something good to you, then?" I raise a brow at Mari.

She turns a shade redder and chooses not to answer. Her gaze is enough of a reply. She is clearly interested in that thing of mine. Though, I think she is a bit shyer than Velen and nothing much will happen. Plus, Ria did ask me not to go too far.

I focus on the pieces of clothing she lays out over the table. With just a single glance, I'm able to recognize the shapes and designs. All four of them are clearly meant to be swimming or diving uniforms. Black, slick one-pieces for both me and the girls.

The male version is pretty much the full suit but with short sleeves and short pants. The wearer's torso is fully covered while their limbs down from slightly above elbows and knees are on full display. As for the female version, the only difference is in the bottom part, which somewhat resembles the Japanese school swimsuits, showing more of the wearer's hips.

"These are made from an extremely tough material which should protect you guys to some degree. Sirgia helped us out a little bit in reinforcing the threads. The way they are woven should stop a cut but it might have a problem with a bite or other punctures. It's not armour but more durable clothing in the end," Mari explains, getting into her creative mode just like Sirgia.

"Let me guess, Shino's design?" I ask.

"Pretty obvious, right?" She chuckles. "We talked about it a lot through the Whispers. She explained many things regarding the material and her ideas. At first, she insisted on all of them being the same design but quickly changed her mind for some reason."

"The first one?" I glance at the male version.

"No, the second actually."

I shudder a little. This little pervert definitely imagined me in the female version. Her intentions are clear as day. She wants that B. The holy bulge. I think we are going to have a nice talk after we meet in real life again.

Well, not like I would mind giving her a little show and watching her cute reaction.

"Also, after consulting with her, we also prepared these." Mari places a few more things on the table.

"Are those fins?" I pick one flat shoe up. "This might be useful."

"Shino said they would. And again, Sirgia assisted us with their creation. She made an amazing mould which she is able to resize and produce different variations. If we ever need more of them for the others, it won't be an issue."

"Just what you would expect from her." We share a smile. "With what we have learned from our little tests earlier, these will make us so much faster. Thank you, Mari. Pass my thanks to Nyfile and everyone else too. You girls did an amazing job with these. I can't wait to be back already and see all the breathtaking costumes you will make in my absence."

"Hahaha, it's nothing much! Work moves crazy fast when you have reliable tools and all the necessary materials! Everyone's help is super appreciated too! And, of course, Shino's sketches and drawings are just so vivid and detailed! I wish all clients made those."

"It isn't nothing much." I place a hand on her shoulder. "You have an enviable talent, backed up by an incredible drive. Make sure to pursue some of your own projects now and then and not just the things we issue you. I don't want you to lose that motivation and excitement for your beloved craft."

Mari shows a bright smile and wraps herself around me in a strong hug. I chuckle and pat her back.

"Thank you so much, Alastair. I still feel like this is a dream. I'm having so much fun here. I'll bring you the best clothes and costumes you can get!"

"I'll be looking forward to that."

After we separate, Mari goes into a deep explanation about all the pieces and I listen to her attentively. It's both fascinating to hear her talk about her passion and also very enjoyable to watch her be so lively. Sirgia might be at fault for that. She made me appreciate these types of people even more. Plus, it makes the girl so sexy.

When we are finally done, I invite Meru, Safi, Emi, Cornelia, and Neira to the workshop and show them everything. The fleshy four of us jump into our suits to try them out and it truly is a sight to behold. The material clings to our bodies like wrapping, emphasising all the curves and important places. Just as I have a thing or two to hang my eyes on, the women can enjoy some eye candy from me too. This is going to be a great trip.

Since we'll be leaving soon anyway, we stay in our uniforms and put some actual clothes on top of them. Then, I introduce my team to Sirgia's artefacts and Velen's pills, explaining their use. Of course, for the former, only Neira has to rely on those, but it's good to have some experience just in case. We never know what kind of situation we might get ourselves in.

We pack all the things Cornelia and some Dark Elf helpers prepared and get ready to depart. As expected, quite the gathering waits to bid farewell to us and we spend some time chatting with the various residents, especially the Nereids. Naturally, I make sure to show my love to all my incredible wives who stay behind. That involves a lot of kisses, hugs, and sweet words.

With everything triple-checked, we pack our asses into the carriage and head straight for the port, where our ship and its crew should already be waiting for us.