Twelve days until the disintegration of the soul.
Bored, Ramiel sat on the world's most comfortable throne and browsed the dungeon's interface in search of hidden features. To his misfortune, he found nothing of the sort...
At the same time, Avi was comfortably sleeping on top of his head, enjoying a moment of peace. Looking at it objectively, lately, she has been doing nothing but lazing around carefree. She even went so far as to neglect the duties assigned to her by Ramiel.
The man was aware of his bond's minor incompetence, but this time, he turned a blind eye to it.
Like him, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before the grim reaper knocked on the gates of the Dungeon of Damnation and claimed their property.
Of course, the part about the most comfortable throne in the world is sarcasm. If it weren't indestructible, Ramiel would have long ago chopped it up into tiny pieces smaller than the electrons orbiting the nucleus of an atom.
" Really, how can you create such crap? It's impossible to sit on it. "
Although Ramiel complained like an annoying old lady in line at the doctor's office, he was starting to get used to a torture tool of the rank of chaos or even something above it.
The seat, hard as titanium and cold as absolute zero, stopped bothering him so much. To say more, he found one advantage in it... Maybe two advantages.
First, after spending a few hours on it, any kind of pain seemed to be less painful. One could say that Ramiel's pain tolerance increased several times. If it weren't for his high resistance to cold, he would have frozen to death sitting there.
Secondly, it was the best torture tool he had ever seen or had the pleasure of using. The slow torture caused by the angular edges, combined with the cold that freezes the blood in the veins, would drive a person to the brink of insanity.1
In addition, the slightest movement caused an unpleasant numbness in the limbs.
" I wish I had come across this earlier... I could have then made one of the ten thousand deaths more pleasant... ".
Distracted by the thought of the dungeon's interface window, Ramiel's amethyst eyes shifted to the two women sitting together by the fire.
He had no idea what had happened during their last sparring match, but it was definitely something good. Since then, the women's relationship has been back on track and moving in the right direction.
They stopped jumping down each other's throats, and the atmosphere they spread around each other became lighter.
Ramiel, deep down, was glad that the war axe between them had been buried deep. After all, when he is gone, they will have only each other.
If they don't rely on and trust each other, a future of painful shades of gray awaits them.
An unbearable curiosity gnawed at him as to what exactly had happened that day, but he wasn't foolish enough to ask directly. Even he retained a modicum of reason and an instinct for self-preservation.
If a lioness is sleeping after licking her wounds, she shouldn't be teased. (AraVarus Book of Wisdom Volume I Chapter 3)This was a favorite proverb of the Grandpa of the hunters' association. Although he had his years, he held up well.
His favorite hobby was to seduce and satisfy women. As the strongest man on earth, he had no problem with that.
Ramiel learned many useful things from him, such as how to deal with the fair sex. The most important of his teachings was: " Never try to understand women. They are as wild as the primeval forests of the rainforest, their temperament is as fierce as a rushing river in a mountain stream and as changeable as the weather in the mountains. Any attempt you make will come to nothing... "
Ramiel had to admit one thing. There was a grain of truth in his grandfather's lesson. Most attempts to understand Samantha's, Asme's, or Caera's behavior had come to naught. Even though he could handle the fair sex at a decent level, so understanding them was a whole different tale. He had given up long ago.
As if the devil himself knew that someone was thinking of him, Asme stood up, heading toward the seated Ramiel. Her hips swayed gently from side to side in a tantalizing manner, catching the attention of her bored lover.
Strands of her snow-white hair, flowing freely over her rosy shoulders, formed a perfect contrast with a pair of dark and mystical-looking horns.
Even though one of them was broken in half, Ramiel still found them extremely attractive and appealing. Combined with her full red lips and her wagging tail, it made for an unforgettable sight.
More than one man would be able to kill to have Asme look at him for even a second.
" May I join in? ~ " Hearing the playful voice of the horned beauty, Ramiel's heart beat faster. In a brief moment, the blood in his veins boiled, and the once calm as a sheet of mana water became a capricious storm in the middle of the ocean.
Before he had time to react in any way, Asme was already sitting on his lap, and her slender hands cupped the man's head in a tight embrace.
The blissful feeling of soft yet warm thighs flooded Ramiel's lap, spreading throughout his body. As if all this wasn't enough, Asme hid her lover's face between the twin mountain peaks.
Considering her skimpy attire, Ramiel was in seventh heaven.
His amethyst eyes hid behind a veil of eyelids, savoring the pleasurable sensation.
Of course, Ramiel didn't remain passive. With his fingertips, he caressed Asme's jade-smooth back. Instead of following the left, his right hand went even lower in search of a new victim.
Coming across an interesting object, Ramiel grabbed it, pulling lightly in the process.
" Uhmmm ~ " Although Asme tried to restrain herself... she was still unable to do so. A sensual moan involuntarily left her dangerous lips.
Her head tilted back. For a brief moment, the beautiful green eyes became misty, indulging in a blissful moment. If one had looked closely into them, one would have seen the woman lose herself in small caresses.
Ramiel's touch was extremely addictive. A small electrical charge passed through the places his fingers made contact with.
Feeling the new stimulus, Asme's body trembled with excitement.
" Hhhahhh... " Rapid gasps, like a bell at noon, resounded over Ramiel's ear.
Asme had already completely sunk into lust, trying to get at the dormant dragon. At first, her intentions were completely at odds with what was happening now.
Unfortunately, she lost the battle with her lineage. The natural instinct of the succubus told her to take back what belonged to her. It didn't take into account even the slightest voice of reason.
At the same time, Ramiel felt the desire that had been haunting him for a long time. The desire was so unbearable that he felt like throwing himself at the woman and sucking all the blood out of her.
Just not the same," he thought.
Just as he was about to sink his teeth into Asme's pink and rosy nipples, he suddenly regained his sobriety of mind.
Ironically, deliverance turned out to be the person who had caused all the fuss.
Wanting to give vent to the desire tormenting her body, her slender hand ran over the entire length of Ramiel's tool.
However, contrary to what she expected, her partner's reaction surprised her.
Regaining his composure, Ramiel stopped Asme's further play firmly.
Surprise and a hint of disappointment were written on the woman's face. Before she had time to protest, Ramiel took the initiative, depriving her of her coveted toy.
Asme's meadow-green eyes widened in disbelief. Never before had Ramiel single-handedly stopped their rapprochement at such an advanced stage.
" Khm... Asme, we shouldn't do that for now. " Ramiel grunted. He would have loved to go a step further, but the sudden bloodlust that flooded his body like a typhoon was dangerous... too dangerous.
At any moment, he could lash out at the defenseless Asme and do her harm. And that was definitely not what he wanted.
There was an awkward silence in the throne room, during which the horned beauty's mind tried to process the avalanche of thoughts.
Had I just been rejected? Was he bored with me? What is wrong with me? Do I no longer excite him...?
Asme measured Ramiel with her eyes.
No, that's not it... Seeing Ramiel's perplexed face and the swollen monster waiting impatiently for someone to release him from his prison, Asme's doubts dissipated like leaves torn by the autumn wind.
" All right ~ But you have to make it up to me later. ~ "
" Since when did you set conditions? " The corners of the man's mouth lifted slightly upward, forming a roguish smile.
For Asme, it was the most beautiful sight, which awakened a flock of butterflies in her stomach...
" Let's think ~~ Maybe since you ask me to sing something to you before bed every day? ~~ "
The smile on the man's face just a moment ago was replaced by a grim expression. This time, he lost with a grin.
The heavy cannon Asme rolled out had too much firepower. One shot was enough to massacre the man's brave defensive line.
" Ara Ara ~ Don't make such a sour face ~ my little boy will let me win today, won't he? ~~
Amused, Asme clung to Ramiel's chest like a koala bear to a tree.
Even if Ramiel wanted to be angry with her, he couldn't do it. Not when his succubus is so cute and adorable. At the end of the day, nothing bad will happen if he spoils her a little.
Once, it probably won't hurt...
With that thought, his hand patted the top of the head of the self-satisfied succubus.
Feeling Ramiel's warm hand on her, Asme received a glare that hit her like a bolt from the blue. Influenced by the care her lover conveyed in such a simple gesture, she was reminded of the true purpose of their journey today.
" Umm... that evolution you mentioned... Can I still go through it? Asme was nervous. You could sense it in her uncertain voice. After all, she has the last word here.
The clash she had with Caera gave her a lot to think about and shed new light on some issues.
Thanks to this, Asme temporarily got rid of suicidal thoughts. For Caera's sake, she decided to hold off on it, at least until the shy elfess became independent. Until then, Asme will stay with her, and they will face an uncertain future together.
" Don't you need more time? Your future will depend on it. Have you thought it through well? " Ramiel was skeptical of Asme's hasty decision. However, he didn't have the slightest intention to stop her. He had no right to do so. After all, she has the last word here.
" Mhm... I've thought about it a lot. " Asme hesitated. Her petite arms clasped tighter around Ramiel's muscular body. The calm and rhythmic beating of her lover's heart acted as an injection of astronomical amounts of confidence. If she could, she would stay there forever.
" I want to become stronger... If we are to survive... I have to do it. "
" Brave girl. " Ramiel put his arm around Asme's petite body, pulling her closer to him. At the same time, his left hand stroked the back of the perverted succubus. He handled her with the utmost care, as if she were made of fragile glass that would shatter into a million pieces at the slightest touch.
Despite appearances, getting out of the dungeon and living outside looks simple only on paper. The reality is already quite different. Many things can go wrong.
In the worst-case scenario, the exit from the dungeon will occur in a nation where the elven or demonic species is discriminated against or enslaved. And this is just the beginning of the coming problems that Ramiel tries not to think about. The more free time she has, the more she regrets that she can't stay with them.
Getting rid of unnecessary thoughts, Ramiel activated the evolution skill. At the thought of how expensive Asme's evolution would be, his heart cried with despair and pain.
Before the great expedition to the Night Rippers' forest, he spent some time researching this skill and managed to understand it partially.
In a strange and unexplained way, the dungeon's warehouse and spatial ring are directly connected to the skill of evolution. All the raw materials there are filtered through it and assigned to the appropriate paths.
Thanks to this, he could have an overview of what is needed for a particular direction of development. In Asme's case, these are the Frost Touch Lilies and all the remaining monster cores.
" Are you ready? "
Asme nodded her head uncertainly. In fact, she was terribly afraid, but if her man was by her side... she could deal with it somehow.
Ramiel didn't have to ask which evolutionary path Asme wanted to follow. She gave him the answer right at the beginning.
" I want to become stronger. "
Since Asme wanted strength, the choice was obvious.