For the Prosperity of Aquor

Warning: This chapter involves some kinky sex :D

Chapter 17

The Next Step

            When Nel woke up in the morning, she was alone. She knew Albel had to leave early to prevent others from finding out where he had been sleeping last night, but she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. As strange as it sounded, she didn’t like waking up alone. Quiet mornings tend to make her think too much and she needed someone to talk to.

            With a sigh, she got out of bed and readjusted her robe when she noticed that it was open and exposing her body. Albel must’ve done it before he left. A tiny smile appeared on her lips at the thought. She never thought she would ever feel so flattered to know how much he appreciated her body. If any other man made so much as a remark about seeing her legs or the size of her breasts to her face, she would glare at them and consider sending some sort of warning to them to ensure they wouldn’t do it again. Repeat offenders would receive a punch to the face or a low level firebolt to the posterior.

            Perhaps it was because Albel wasn’t completely perverted about it that he got away with seeing her exposed. Or rather- he had a way of not being creepy about it. It also helped that she had the privilege to admire his form in exchange…

            The spy shook her head before those thoughts turned heated. She needed to get ready for the day and quickly went about cleaning up and getting dressed. Once she had her uniform on, she realized that she hadn’t felt nausea or any of the other problems that bothered her yesterday. She felt as if she had never passed out. She was convinced that she was better again and felt that whatever test Maria was conducting would prove it too.

            But… could it detect pregnancy? Nel hadn’t thought of that. With all of their technological advances, surely they could tell if a woman was with child? That thought made her a little nervous. If it happened to be true, then it would be a matter of time before the others would hear about it. Worse- Adray would know about it. She wasn’t so sure how well the aged runologist would handle such news. He could make it to where the queen would also know about it in as little as an hour.

            The spy blinked when she heard a knock at her door. She pulled on her last armguard before she walked over to the door and opened it. She was surprised to see that not only Fayt was behind the door, but that he was also up before sunrise.

            “Um…how are you doing?” he wondered in a rather timid tone as she let him in. She could tell there was a lot on his mind and figured that it had something to do with Albel. But she was touched that he took the time to remember her…or so she had thought. He was concerned about her health, but he had another reason for the visit.

            “I’m fine. I’m feeling much better now,” she said before Fayt finally revealed what else he wanted to ask.

            “That’s good… By any chance, have you seen Albel last night? He never came to back to our room last night and his bed was empty this morning. It looks as though he was never in it.”

            Nel was about to tell him that she saw him at the tavern, but quickly decided that was just as bad as telling him that the Wicked One spent the night with her. The boy had been genuinely worried about her and she had warned him before to never go to that part of town. It wouldn’t look good for her credibility to admit that she would visit taverns or that she had been sneaking out against the party’s wishes.

            “I haven’t seen him- but I doubt he left the city. He might be with the dragons for all we know,” Nel tried to reassure him. She wasn’t sure where else he would’ve gone unless he was out wandering the city. She hoped he wasn’t causing trouble somewhere.

            “Oh…” the boy muttered dejectedly before he tried to act like it didn’t bother him. “Adray and Cliff are out looking for him right now. Hopefully we can find him soon and get back to the Barr Mountains.”

            Nel felt bad for the boy. She could tell what was really bothering him, but she didn’t know how to cheer him up without sounding suspicious. Albel had revealed to the boy that he was interested in women and that pretty much broke his heart. It wasn’t like she could tell Fayt there were other men out there who were better than him. If only they had a chance to go to Kirlsa. She was sure Astor could probably pull him out of a slump…

            It was after that thought, Nel realized that Fayt didn’t have much time left. Once they found the Marquis and dealt with the Vendeeni, he and the other off-worlders were going to leave. It didn’t really matter if Astor could cheer up the boy- he was going back to the stars soon enough and she’ll probably never see him again. In fact, it was probably for the best that he had his heart broken now rather than later. After all, it wasn’t like Albel could go with him when it was all over.

            She instead decided to focus on his announcement of heading back to the mountains as soon as possible. Since he inquired about her health, she knew he hadn’t forgotten about the reason why they stayed the night. That must’ve meant Maria’s results came in and he was satisfied that she wasn’t going to die. “So does that mean I’m cleared to go with you?”

            “…Oh! Yeah. Maria said she wanted to talk to you in private about the results. She said they were a little personal. But she assured me that you’ll survive and that you shouldn’t get sick again,” he explained once he remembered about the results.

            Nel hesitated for a moment. The results were…personal? That immediately sent a warning to the spy’s brain. It couldn’t be… But then again, she could be jumping to conclusions. Perhaps there was something else that Maria felt should be kept to ‘just the ladies’. Or she could’ve had more questions about Elicoorian anatomy to satisfy her curiosity.

            “Okay. I’ll go talk to her now. Where is she?” Nel wondered, preparing herself for the news that was to come.

            “She’s in the lobby,” Fayt answered as he glanced back at the door. “I’m going to check with the dragon riders to see if they had seen Albel. Actually- let’s meet up over there once everyone is ready.”

            The spy nodded at the decision and promised to tell the others if she ran across them.

            Once Fayt had left, Nel gathered up all of her supplies and headed out to meet Maria in the lobby. The blue haired girl was sitting at one of the tables while glancing through her quad scanner. The red haired woman let in a deep breath before walking over to the table and sat down in the empty seat across from the girl.

            “Fayt said you wanted to talk to me in private?” she inquired once the girl glanced up at her.

            “That’s right,” she nodded. “Your results came in and I noticed something that might’ve happened because of it. I just wanted to warn you of the side effects you might experience for the next few days.”

            Nel’s body relaxed some upon hearing that. It didn’t sound like she was referring to a pregnancy. “Oh? What did I have? Fayt didn’t say much to me. He was more worried about Albel.”

            “Well, before I tell you, I want to apologize. It was actually my fault that you suffered all of that yesterday. You happen to be one of the many victims of a peanut allergy and the peanut butter you ate caused you to experience anaphylaxis,” Maria explained, stunning the Elicoorian. “Food allergies tend to take some time to manifest, but the fact that your body was already so stressed slowed down the progression, making it to where you reached the critical point much later than with normal allergy sufferers.”

            Nel wasn’t sure if she should laugh or cry in relief. All of that was because of a mere allergy? She wasn’t even aware that she had an allergy! The whole ordeal was nothing but trouble and had forced her to think about some rather uncomfortable things with Albel. At least that explained why she was the only one to be affected. Albel and Adray didn’t have the same problem as she did.

            “I can understand your frustration, but it was still a good thing we took a day off,” Maria added after seeing the look on the spy’s face. She thought Nel was upset over having to stay the night in Peterny instead of heading straight back to the Barr Mountains. “The shock you went through didn’t exactly help you. That stress you’re feeling was already taxing your body and if Adray and I hadn’t treated you, you might’ve had some permanent damage to your nervous system.”

            Nel crossed her arms as she listened to the blue haired girl. So it was important for her to get some rest despite how she was feeling. “Even so, it’s not like I can stop what I’m doing. As long as I avoid that peanut butter, I shouldn’t have severe problems like that again, right?”

            “That’s right, but there’s no guarantee that your body will return to normal until you can find some time to relax. When you passed out yesterday, my scans picked up a rapid release of hormones from your brain. It doesn’t seem to be anything fatal, but you might experience anything from mood swings to bodily sensitivities- that’s what I wanted to warn you about. I figured you wouldn’t want the guys to know about it since Cliff likes to make jokes about women’s periods,” Maria added with a slight shake of her head over the Klausian’s antics.

            …That actually explained a lot. So in the end she was right- it was stress, but it had been worsened from the allergy attack. But that didn’t mean she had to take herself out of the mission and it also didn’t mean she was pregnant… Wait…

            “So there was nothing in there that said I was pregnant or anything?” she inquired, wanting to make sure. Normally she wouldn’t ask things like that, but after that conversation with Albel, she didn’t want to take chances. She wanted to avoid having children for as long as possible.

            Maria appeared a little confused before she replied with, “No. There was nothing in the scans that indicated such. Why? Were you expecting?”

            “No, I was just making sure. I thought it was odd that I was experiencing the symptoms, but I guess it could be the side effects you were mentioning,” she replied smoothly, taking advantage of the fact that the girl didn’t know her that well. For all Maria knew, she could’ve been in a relationship long before she arrived and wouldn’t think it strange that the spy asked.

            The off-worlder accepted that and Nel let out a sigh of relief from the moment she looked away. Thank Apris she wasn’t pregnant…

       *******************

            As it turned out, Albel was waiting by the exit that led to where the dragon knights were camping. When Nel and the others arrived, he was talking with Fayt. The boy was trying hard to keep a smile on his face when speaking to the Wicked One. Nel soon discovered that they were talking about the politics of Airyglyph and that Albel was finally answering Fayt’s questions about the Glyphians.

            He finally got his wish in knowing Albel better, but it was a bittersweet outcome since he knew the most he could get out of a relationship with the dark warrior was a strictly platonic friendship. Once the young leader ordered that they should head off, Nel tried to ask if he was going to be okay.

            “You don’t look too happy and I get the feeling that it’s because of something other than the Vendeeni,” she explained when the boy wondered why she inquired.

            Fayt glanced away for a second, almost looking guilty, before he replied, “I’ll be fine. I just need to keep moving forward, right?”

            “Right,” she nodded as she patted him on the shoulder. She smiled behind her scarf at his courage to move on. He really did have the potential to be a great hero. It was such a shame that he couldn’t stay on this planet and fight alongside Aquaria. Still, she couldn’t help but feel bad for the boy. He deserved to be happy, too.

            Once again, Nel was ‘stuck’ riding with Albel again. At least she made somewhat of a show to make it seem like she had no choice. Cliff had to make one sly comment towards the two to ‘behave themselves’, but everyone dismissed it as a joke. Though Nel couldn’t help but cringe slightly as she wondered if the Klausian was teasing them as former enemies that couldn’t get along- or as secret lovers. She was beginning to fear that he was suspecting the latter.

            She actually did want to ride with the Wicked One so that she could tell him what the results were, but she quickly found that it was near impossible to converse while on a dragon. This time, he let her ride behind him so she could get some of her dignity back from yesterday.

            It was radically different than having to ride in front of him. She felt less secure in the air without his arms around her and she had to hold on to him tightly. Albel chuckled a few times when she ended up squeezing her arms around his chest if a wind gust happened to hit them. It was enough to distract him from his task of guiding the dragon and even made him relax a little.

            When they landed, Fayt rushed them back to the entrance of the mountain path.

            “Okay, we need to make up for lost time!” he announced with a real grin. Adray shared in the newfound enthusiasm and drew his sword.

            “I’ll cut us a path!” the aged runologist roared happily before he ran ahead of the others. Fayt, Cliff, and Maria followed after him. Albel was about to draw his own sword and go after them, but Nel placed her hand on his claw arm to stop him.

            “Before we go, I need to tell you that I’m not expecting. Maria’s technology discovered that I was only having an allergic reaction to that off-world food,” she informed him, trying to be brief. They didn’t have much time before the others would wonder why they had fallen behind.

            The Wicked One snorted before he glared at the path before them. “All of that from an allergy? You actually had me worried, woman.”

            She was once again stunned to hear something like that from him. But given his actions yesterday, it made sense for him to be concerned. Though he didn’t sound very pleased to admit that out loud… They soon started jogging after the others, not really bothering to run fast since they knew Fayt couldn’t get far without tiring himself out.

            “…You’re…not upset that I’m not having a baby, are you?” she queried beside him, wondering if he was upset with the news. He said he didn’t want one this soon, but there was no changing the fact that he did want a child.

            “No,” he replied in a calm tone before a smirk graced his features, “We can always try again at a more appropriate time.”

            Nothing more was said between them. Nel supposed that there was nothing more that needed to be said. And- it seemed like Albel was thinking heavily about something. She wondered what it could be, but she knew he wouldn’t tell her unless he felt like it. It was better to just forget about it.

       *******************

            They made it back to where they had left off in as little as three hours. After that, they had to solve the puzzle of offering the dragon’s cranium in the center of the cross. If that wasn’t exhausting or annoying enough, the fact that they had to fight some bloodthirsty demon child was enough to wear down even Adray. But with their combined strength, they eventually defeated Robin Wind and were rewarded entry to the inner caves of Barr.

            It was very hot within the depths. Nel figured that they must’ve been close to the volcano. That was a good sign since it was rumored that the Marquis lived in the volcano. There was more than enough glowing magma to light the way, but it also made it very uncomfortable. The spy was almost reminded of the heat from the Mosel Dunes.

            They had to travel at a much slower pace to avoid pockets of burning stone and molten rock. The monsters that thrived within made things even more difficult. Thankfully, there wasn’t much to explore. One path was blocked by volcanic rock, forcing them to turn and explore the two other paths.

            Around the end of their exploration, they found a strange bunny statue that had a key hidden behind it and a locked door that was located on the other side of the cavern from the statue. Nel thanked Apris that they had come across the key first and that it was indeed the one to unlock the door. It saved them some time.

            The other side of that door was yet another cave that was filled with steam, making it hard to see. It was almost like a sauna and Nel felt like she couldn’t breathe. Since the visibility was so low, Fayt decided that everyone should hold hands or grab an arm so they wouldn’t get separated and lost. He insisted on being in the lead, with Maria right behind him. Cliff followed her, then Adray. Nel knew Albel would be opposed to the idea unless he was holding on to her so she grabbed Adray’s arm and then held out her hand to the dark warrior.

            If he hadn’t smirked at her and deliberately laced the fingers of his good hand with hers, she would’ve felt like she was leading a child. Fayt had to feel his way around as he led the chain of warriors through the steamy cave. Somehow they didn’t run into any monsters and managed to stumble across yet another door.

            “Huh? Who are you?” a small bunnyman inquired when they entered. The creature then pouted before he placed his paws on his hips and glared. “Didn’t you see the message not to search for a spare key?”

            “Spare key?” Fayt echoed, wondering what the creature was talking about. Nel recalled there was some kind of message scrawled near the locked door, but they didn’t take it seriously. Honestly, who would mention a key if they didn’t want anyone to find it?

            “He probably means the Rabbit Ears Key,” Maria supplied, catching on faster than the boy.

            “Oh yeah…” he muttered before he tried to apologize. The bunny humanoid just shook his head and gestured for everyone to come in.

            “Well, no matter. Besides, you don’t seem to be monsters,” he said as he waited for everyone to settle in his home. Fayt and Maria remained by the door while the others started exploring the small home. Albel just sat down at the table and stared at the bunny with suspicion.

            It was strangely cozy in the area, despite the lava flowing in the corner and the steamy hot spring on the other side. It appeared that the stone surrounding the place staved off the heat from the outside and controlled the heat inside to where it was the perfect temperature to live in.

            “So, what do you want?” the bunny wondered with a cheerful façade.

            “First, we should introduce ourselves. I’m Fayt. This is Maria,” he began as he gestured to the girl beside him.

            Maria decided to hurry things along by adding, “These guys are also with us.”

            Cliff, Nel, and Adray slowly stopped their explorations to stare back at the blue haired girl incredulously.

            “I have a name, too, you know,” Albel sneered from where he was sitting.

            “Nice Maria,” Cliff muttered flatly as he shrugged and went back to glancing through the various tools in the workshop. The creature laughed a little, finding the small exchange a little humorous.

            “I’m Vanilla. Pleased to meet you.”

            “Anyway, we’ve come to speak with the Marquis. Do you know where we can find him?” Fayt asked after shaking Vanilla’s paw.

            “Speak with …him? Hmm… The entrance to his lair is blocked by volcanic rock. You can’t get in,” he replied as he shook his head. They had come across volcanic rock before. That was most likely the place where they had first searched. So know they knew where to go, the question was how to find a way to get in. Unfortunately, Vanilla wasn’t much help. He wasn’t even a native to the caves.

            “Bah…” Albel scoffed as he shook his head, “I told you this was a waste of time. Fool.”

            Nel paused and glanced back at him. He hadn’t said a word ever since entering the ruins. “I don’t remember you saying that.”

            He opened one eye and regarded her with a shrug before he admitted, “Me neither.”

            Then why did you say anything at all? The spy wondered in her mind before she pinched the bridge of her nose. It was almost as if he felt obligated to say something at this point. Perhaps he didn’t want to get rusty at his Fayt-baiting. But she was somewhat relieved to hear him answer her. His silence was getting rather unnerving and she was picking up the subtle signs that being in the cave was really bothering him. She wondered if he had heard stories or even been to a place similar to this in his childhood and it was bringing back bad memories. Even if he was the easiest Glyphian to read, he still had enough of a mysterious past to where she couldn’t predict what he was thinking.

            “Is there any way to get through the volcanic rock?” Fayt continued, choosing to ignore them. He seemed intent on focusing on the matter at hand. Or perhaps he was trying hard to ignore Albel.

            Vanilla tried to think for a moment before replying, “There is a way, but…”

            The bunny went on to explain that they needed a Ring of Disintegration to eliminate the volcanic rock. He had the skill to make one, but he was lacking the material. “Do you know the Airyglyph Aqueducts? There should be a glowstone somewhere in there. I need one to make the ring. Do you really need it that badly?”

            “Yeah,” the boy confirmed in a quiet tone, “We have to speak with the Marquis.”

            “…When do you need it by?” the bunny offered after thinking it over. Nel was somewhat annoyed that they would have to make yet another side trip to obtain the glowstone, but it seemed there was no other way.

            Fayt negotiated the price they would pay for the services before they headed out. He waited until they were back within the much cooler ruins before they discussed what they were going to do next. It wasn’t too much of a problem going back to Airyglyph, but it was already getting late. They were going to have to think about where to sleep once they’ve obtained the glowstone.

            “It’s already getting late and it might be close to nightfall by the time we get this glowstone- and that’s also counting for the time it might take to find it,” Maria began, pointing out the fact that they don’t exactly know where the item was. Fayt, Cliff, and Nel had been to the aqueducts before, but they knew a lot of areas covered in ice so it didn’t give much of a clue of where they should search.

            “But we might be able get what we need before sunset and make it back to the trail in time to set up camp. I’m not saying I would want to travel at night, but we might get moving faster that way over staying the night in Airyglyph,” the young leader suggested, earning nods of agreement from everyone.

            Nel still felt guilty that she caused them to lose a day and she was starting to suspect Maria had lied to her, given the undertone of the conversation. If they could afford a day, then the side trip they had to take wouldn’t be too much of an issue. But it was too late to bring it up and she could tell Fayt was trying not to mention last night. All she could do at this point was make sure she was carrying her weight and ensure they get to the Marquis in time.

      ************************

            When they reached Airyglyph, it was mid afternoon. Fayt was hopeful that they would be back in Barr in no time and decided that it would be faster if they just split up the team. Three would go into the aqueducts to find the glowstone and three would stay behind to pick up anything else they might need for the trip. Fayt immediately volunteered to go and selected Cliff and Adray to go with him.

            Nel could hear Maria mutter quietly under her breath about how she wasn’t surprised that the boy would choose the muscled men to go with him. That proved to the spy that Maria was also aware of Fayt’s sexuality- meaning Adray was the only one left who didn’t know. Then again, the man wasn’t that dense. He’d probably figure it out soon if he hadn’t already.

            “Are you sure you don’t want to take Albel?” Maria wondered before the boys could head off to into the icy cave. “He might know the area better than you three.”

            “We’ve been here before. It’s not that hard,” Cliff reassured her before Albel glared down at the blue haired girl.

            “I would rather not go, worm. I have business to take care of while we’re here,” he responded tersely, upset that she had the nerve to include him.

            The girl only stared back at him in a calm manner and rested on hand on her hip as a show that she was not intimidated, “I see. Sorry I volunteered you, then.”

            She then glanced over at Nel, then Fayt and the others before adding, “If anyone needs me, I will be at the workshop.”

            “Okay. We’ll meet you there when we’re done.” Fayt nodded.

            It wasn't long before Nel found herself standing alone with Albel. She was almost tempted to ask what ‘business’ he had in mind, but then decided that it was none of her concern. He seemed to want some time to himself and she didn’t mind giving that to him. She was about to go off and check up on her contacts that were still in Airyglyph. But before she could announce her departure, the talons of Albel’s claw were wedged into her armor and she suddenly found herself pulled against his chest.

            She barely had time to regain her wits before his lips claimed hers. While Albel would pull something like this, she was still a little stunned and confused over his actions. It didn’t make sense considering how out of it he seemed to be lately. But she didn’t have the chance to really reflect on it when he suddenly ended the kiss and twirled her around so that her back was against him.

            “You have two choices,” he began, his breath warming her ear and causing her to shiver from his husky tone. “Either run in that direction and have me chase you down or let me carry you there.”

            It was very clear what he wanted- the thrill of the hunt and the chance to pounce on her. But what exactly was down the alley he was pointing out to her? And why did he want to play now? It was hardly the time… though it wasn’t as if they had anything better to do until Fayt was done.

            Nel tilted her head some to move her ear away from his mouth. “What’s the point in running? That leads to a dead end, doesn’t it?”

            He chuckled. “I don’t want to risk you actually getting away from me. We don’t have much time for that.”

            They shouldn’t be playing at all. She wasn’t sure why he wanted this now of all times. Perhaps it was something he wanted to do for a while and wanted to take advantage of the short break. With him being in his hometown, he knew where to go when he wanted to be alone- or rather when he wanted to be alone with her.

            She had to consider her options. He was obviously adamant about this and she knew from experience that it was very hard to fight him off. It was better to play along, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to play his game. She was too proud to allow herself to be hunted down and being carried was definitely not an option. Unfortunately, Albel wasn’t very patient at the moment….

            Nel grunted in surprised when she found herself slung over his shoulder. “Hey!”

            “You take too long to decide, woman,” he replied, sounding more amused than annoyed. “Don’t worry, we’re not going far.”

            “Put me down! We can just walk there!” she hissed as she tried to push her top half up so she could glare at the back of his head. If Albel couldn’t chase her, then having her squirm in his grasp was just as good. He smirked as he ignored her demands and continued down the long passage that led to the outer wall.

            The area in question ended close to the mountainside where the castle was built. On one side was the outer wall and on the other was some old and abandoned building that once served as a workshop several years ago. It was private enough for what he wanted to do with her, but there was always a chance of getting caught if someone else happened to be wandering the back alleys.

            He soon let the spy slide down and warned her to be quiet before he claimed her lips again. If they made too much noise, it could attract attention. Nel tried to protest and pull away, but he was quick to hold her body against his with his claw arm and used his human hand to force her mouth open. Upon realizing that he intended to claim her out in the open, she pushed against him in a vain attempt to get him to stop and listen to her.

            But after a while, she gave up and just surrendered to his demanding kisses. Glyphians didn’t know her by face so it was Albel’s reputation that was on the line. …Though with the way most of the Glyphian army bragged about sexual acts, his reputation would most likely improve. She could only hope that the few contacts she had in Airyglyph didn’t happen to come by and see her.

            Still, while she didn’t want to get caught, it was a little exciting. She had to remind herself to keep her moans and other pleased sounds to a minimum as she allowed her hands to travel up his chest and dig into his hair. Albel smirked against her before he pulled back enough to kiss her under her chin.

            “Heh, I’ve often fantasized about running into you in places like this,” he admitted between kisses. “Sometimes I would imagine you in that maid’s uniform and think of ways to seduce you.”

            So this was all to relive one of his fantasies? Nel could only grin at the dreams he probably had about her. She could bet more than half of them involved her in submissive poses with him in complete control.

            “What happens in your dreams and reality are two different things. It’s too cold to do anything extreme,” she warned him after he turned her around so that her back was against him again. Both had left their cloaks in Kirlsa, thinking they wouldn’t be heading back to Airyglyph without going through the mining town first. At least there were in an area where the winds didn’t flow through. That would’ve made it even colder.

            She felt the rush of air against her cheek as he let out a half-laugh. “The only articles of clothing coming off are underwear. I don’t intend to let you freeze out here.”

            Nel relaxed at that. As long as she was keeping enough on to stay warm, then she was willing to try out whatever he had in mind. Albel pushed down her scarf enough so he could have better access to her neck before he carefully cupped one of her breasts to test her sensitivity. She winced at the minor pain, noting that it wasn’t as bad as last night, but didn’t say anything. She could ignore the pain and- she liked the feeling of his warm hand on her.

            He caught the wince and decided not to play further. He held his hand there for a moment while nipping at her neck through the material, before he allowed it to trail down to the edge of her tunic. He clenched his claw into a fist so he wouldn’t accidentally cut through her leather armor as he rested the metal arm across her torso. He leaned over her form to kiss where her neck met her chest as his good hand slipped under the tunic to rub at the crotch of her panties.

            She bit back the moan that resulted. Unable to keep still, she gripped his metal arm with one hand and raised her other one to reach back and tangle her fingers in his hair. His lips traveled up the front of her throat before her hand began tugging at his hair and guided him to her mouth. He smirked as their tongues met and fought for dominance. While she was distracted in trying to invade his mouth, he slowly trailed his fingers up to the hem of her panties.

            She offered no protest as his fingers slipped under the garment and tickled at the wiry curls hidden underneath. But soon she let out a sound in his mouth when his middle finger found the seam and slid inside her wet folds. Nel’s breathing started to become heavy as he started moving his finger up and down against her hardened bundle of nerves. He then added more fingers to spread her nether regions so he could have access to more.

            Her lips broke away from him to let out a broken cry when he curved his middle finger and partially entered her. The extra pressure against her clit was almost maddening. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her hormones, but she was feeling very sensitive down there as well. Instead of pain, it was nothing but pure, tingling pleasure. Her body responded on its own by grinding against his hand to further stimulate her clit.

            Albel couldn’t hold back his own moan after feeling how wet and responsive she was. It was sweet torture to stand still and let her hips move and grind against his digits.

            “How badly do you want me, Nel?” he wondered before he pulled his fingers out of her warmth and simply cupped her mound. She was close, but he couldn’t let her finish yet. It had been too long since he had a taste of her and he wanted to hear her beg for it.

            The spy had to bite her lip for a second to compose herself some. It wasn’t often he called her by her name. It was usually ‘woman’, ‘death seeker’, or even ‘lover’ when they were alone. Hearing her name from his lips made her almost dizzy with want.

            “Don’t tease me,” she hissed as she tried to buck her hips against him. He smirked before he pulled his hand out from her underwear and brought his fingers up to his mouth. She tried to stop him and almost let out a pout when he backed away from her.

            “I’m not teasing. I’m only asking,” Albel muttered tauntingly before he licked at his fingers. “Do you want me to finish you?”

            Nel gritted her teeth in frustration. Why did he have to torment her when she could barely think? “Yes…please.”

            She could hear him chuckle darkly as he wrapped his arms around her again, “Then say you’re mine.”

            “I…I’m yours,” she stammered out when she felt his hardness rubbing against her bottom. Why did this dominant and submissive role-play arouse her, too? It was so humiliating… To reward her obedience, his fingers sought out her underwear and began pulling them down slowly. The spy gasped as the cold air hit her wet curls. The panties soon plopped down to the ground at her ankles and she gingerly kicked them to the side so they would be out of the way.

            “Say my name,” he ordered in near her ear in a primal growl.

            “Albel,” she moaned as his hand slid up her inner thigh. The next thing she knew, she was flipped around and pressed against the wall that was previously before her. Albel was already kneeling down, head level with her nether regions before he lifted part of her tunic out of the way.

            All it took was one lazy lick from her entrance to the top of her clit and she was shuddering. A loud scream almost escaped her, but she stifled it in time as her orgasm racked though her. Her hands found his head once again as she rocked her hips against his tongue to ride out the last of the unexpected waves. She could feel him trying to capture the wetness flowing out of her as her body came down from its high.

            He was also a little stunned at how quickly she came and wasn't against staying where he was to bring her back to that point again. His good hand kept her nether lips spread apart as his hot mouth engulfed everything in between. Nel bit down on her lip to keep back the next scream. Every now and then some gasps of his name would escape her, but she managed to stay rather quiet even as he let his tongue thrust inside her.

            When the pressure began building up again, she raised an arm to her mouth and sank her teeth into the leather of her armguards to stifle the loud cry that wanted to break free. She convulsed again and marveled how different her climaxes were feeling while under a hormonal imbalance. It felt like there was more heat that spread out before the almost painful pleasure took over her nerves. Did pregnant women feel that way, too?

            Albel was satisfied when he felt her legs struggling to support her and eagerly stood to catch her. He pinned her against the wall with his body and then guided one of her hands to his loincloth under the sarong. She quickly got the message and took control of the situation with shaky hands. She had to move his sarong out of the way before she could pull down his underwear and expose his almost fully aroused member.

            He wasn't giving her much room to experiment so all she could do was rub his shaft and awkwardly fondle his scrotum while he held her up. He continued to hold her close even after she regained her footing and completely recovered from her last climax. Nel moaned a little when his tongue began tracing the exposed skin on her neck and under her ear. She could feel his hand grip her waist and knew he was about ready to take her. It annoyed her some that he wasn’t going to let her have a turn, but she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea of finishing up. It was cold and she was getting a little tired.

            She managed to make him shiver one last time by slowly dragging her fingernail in the crease between his testes before he finally moved her hands away. Nel eagerly raised one thigh to rest against his waist and balanced on one foot as he lined himself up with her. Then in one fluid motion, he entered her just before she jumped up and wrapped her other leg around him. He caught her before she could slip and supported her bottom with his metallic arm.

            It was a little hard to start a rhythm at first, but soon he was trusting against her at a pace that satisfied both of them. Nel feverishly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her cheek against his metal collar. The motion ended up pressing her breasts against his chest, but she didn’t care about the pain at that point. Even despite the uncomfortable weather, they were still working up a sweat and it was bringing a jarring chill to the areas of her body that wasn’t in contact with him.

            Just then, a thought came to her. It was foggy at first since she wanted to focus more on the wonderful friction Albel was generating, but soon it really nagged at her. Wasn’t there something about heat that was important?

            “W-Wait! Stop,” she ground out as it came to her. It took all of her willpower pull back and look at him. Albel could only slow his pace, but he couldn’t make himself stop completely.

            “Stop?” he panted incredulously, “Are you mad, woman? I can’t stop now!”

            “Please, it’s important,” she insisted in an almost frantic whisper. She couldn’t let him release inside her until she was sure. The Wicked One growled venomously as his body tensed and he forced himself to cease all movement. He took a few frenzied breaths before he pulled out quickly and let her slide down. Just as her feet made contact with the ground, he violently slammed his gauntlet into the wall to help him cope with the uncomfortable erection.

            “This better be important, death seeker,” he seethed furiously. The use of his nickname for her proved that he wasn’t one bit pleased with her interruption. “Make it quick.”

            “I know, I’m sorry,” she apologized as she shrugged off the shoulder bag that carried her necessities. In hindsight, she should’ve taken it off much sooner. Who knew what damage it could’ve caused to the contents inside when she was forced against that wall?

            “Heat kills it, right?” she confirmed as she knelt down and searched for the vials.

            It didn’t take much for him to catch on to what she was getting at. She was worried about the contraceptives. They were recently in a lava cave so there was a good chance that they could’ve lost their effectiveness. “It takes a full day’s exposure on maybe the hottest Aquarian summer day, but extreme heat exposure will kill it faster.”

            It was a good thing she thought about it. No sooner than after those words left his mouth, she found a vial and it was discolored into a deep purple color.

            “Damn it!” he hissed in frustration when he noticed the color. “Forget about it! I’ll buy more when we’re done. As long as you take it within a day, you should be fine.”

            It was a sound plan, but Nel wasn’t in the mood to wait for the contraceptive. Now that she thought about it, she didn’t want to take them anymore. She was better off starting on the Aquarian versions since they had less chance in losing their potency. The only place where she couldn’t use them was in Airyglyph and she didn’t foresee any reason to stay in the cold city long enough to worry about it.

            However, telling that to the extremely sexually frustrated Albel wasn’t going to be easy. He wanted his release now. The spy smirked as another idea came to her.

            “I have a better idea,” she announced before she tugged at his sarong, “Get on your knees.”

            “What are you planning, woman?” he wondered, noting the small grin on her features.

            “Just do as I say and we’ll both be satisfied. It’s my turn to take control.”

            He wasn’t in the right mind to question her. The pain in his loins urged him to either listen to her or claim her brutally. He was very tempted to take the latter route, but a brief memory of her ‘Aquarian talents’ made him curious to see what she had in mind. As long as she didn’t stall too long, he was willing to follow her orders.

            She nodded encouragingly when he knelt down before her and then urged him to stay as still as possible. She nudged his thighs apart so that his knees were spread on the ground before she maneuvered herself to turn around, back facing him, and fit her legs between his.

            “Don’t move,” she reminded him sternly when she felt his swollen member brush deliberately against her rear. He let out a growl and she pictured a pout on his face as he forced himself to do her bidding.

            With a bit more shifting, she managed to back up until her bottom was flush against his groin, earning a grunt from him. She only spread her thighs enough to allow his shaft to slide in between them. Her hairs tickled him, torturing him even more. Nel reassured him that she was almost done before she spread her folds and used her other hand to press his erection against her. She then quickly snapped her thighs shut to trap him. Albel nearly let out a cry from the tightness that suddenly surrounded him.

            “You can move now,” she informed him before he understood what she wanted him to do. He didn’t need to think about it- his hips were moving before he could register it.

            Thanks to the fact that she was very wet and he was already covered in her arousal, he had no trouble sliding back and forth between her thighs. Nel tucked the front part of her tunic under her armor before she bent over and supported herself up by her arms so that he would be brushing more firmly against her clit as he thrust against her.

            “Tell me when you’re about to come,” she requested before she felt herself shudder at the sensation of him rubbing against her.

            Albel got the message, but he found that he couldn’t respond. This was almost better than being inside her. It was somewhat tighter between her thighs, but it wasn’t as hot as it was in her inner depths. But pounding against her like this was much more arousing to him. He was torn between which method was his favorite, but at the moment it didn’t matter much. All he wanted to focus on was feeling her orgasm before he finally let himself go.

            He soon reached forward and rested his claw against the wall so he could refrain from gripping her hip with it. His good hand was already digging into the exposed skin of her hip and he feared that he would leave deep gashes with his claw. Since Nel was unusually sensitive, it wasn’t that long of a wait before she felt another wave of pleasure. She easily came two more times before he felt himself reaching the threshold.

            “I…I’m about to…” he managed to force out between gritted teeth. The spy nodded before she pushed herself up and plastered her back against his chest. One arm snaked behind her to rest against the back of his neck while the other hand made sure her tunic was out of range.

            Albel rested his chin against her shoulder and had a good view of the head of his erection peeking out from her nether regions. The sight alone threw him over the edge.

            “Nel,” he growled deeply before he arched his back and succumbed to the intense explosion of sensations. A thick stream of semen shot forth and ended up splattering against the wall. The spy smirked at the sight. If she had seen any other man’s seed defacing a wall, she would’ve been disgusted. But it was hard not to be proud when she knew it was from Albel the Wicked and that it happened because of her.

            They shared a mutual silence as they held their positions and tried to catch their breaths. Nel eventually released him and reached out to her travel bag to retrieve a cloth to clean up with. Once they were standing on wobbly legs, they busied themselves in pulling up their undergarments and rearranging their clothing so they wouldn’t look like they just had sex in some back alley.

            Nel made a mental note to remember what Albel looked like after their tryst so she would know what one appeared like after having sex in a back alley. With her newfound education, she would be able to exactly know where her subordinates were fooling around if they happened to be missing for important missions.

            Suddenly his arms were around her again and his lips were smoothing over her forehead and cheeks before they lingered on her mouth.

            “Alliances be damned… I swear I’ll find some way to have you warm my bed every night,” he muttered between short kisses. Nel wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or a threat. She had learned that she should take most of what he said very seriously, but at the same time she couldn’t imagine him doing anything that might cause a war.

            But at the moment, she was more interested in how affectionate the Wicked One was being. It seemed the more erotic their sex was, the more amorous he acted afterwards. It didn’t last for very long- usually he was back to his cold self by morning. But since they wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon, she was curious how long this behavior was going to last. …He’d probably go back to scowling the moment they were among their companions.

            Of course, he wasn’t the only one who acted out of norm after sex. Nel found that she could get rather clingy after being pleasured- in fact her arms were around him already. She wanted to believe that she was only hugging him because it was cold, but she was suffering from an embarrassing bout of post-coital bliss along with him.

            A shiver racked through her when the frosty air became too hard to ignore. Their bodies were cooling too rapidly and they could risk getting sick if they remained outside for too long.

            “We should get inside and warm up,” she suggested before she reluctantly let go of him. “I’m going to the workshop and see what Maria is up to.”

            She didn’t know if he intended to follow her or part ways from there. He suddenly fell silent and seemed to return to his brooding mood from earlier. It happened faster than she anticipated. She tried to walk away, but his human hand grabbed her shoulder to keep her still.

            “We need to talk later tonight,” he informed her, sounding a little hesitant.

            She considered his words and then faced him, “Why can’t we talk now? I’m sure we still have time for that.”

            Albel shook his head. “No, there’s something I want to show you before we face the Marquis. Now isn’t a good time- it will have to be later.”

            That made her even more curious. They will most likely be staying the night on the mountain trail. What could he possibly show her there? Still, she caught the unwillingness in his voice and knew it was something he was uncomfortable with sharing. She didn’t see any reason to refuse him since she would most likely never get another chance to find out what he was hiding in his mind. And- she caught how this had to be done before facing the Marquis. She wasn’t sure if that had anything to do with the dragon itself or the fact that they will be facing the Vendeeni not long after.

            Nel hoped he wasn’t planning to confess to his past sins to get it off his chest and die without regrets. It wasn’t in his nature to worry about being killed in battle. He was too sure of himself to lack the confidence and he knew too little about the new enemy to really be concerned about total annihilation. The latter was something he had to see with his own eyes before he could even come to understand the depth of the fear she was feeling over the matter.

            “Alright. Later then,” she agreed with a nod before she headed off. She could hear Albel trail after her.

            She didn’t mind hearing whatever he wanted to talk about. It was actually an honor to have such a gifted and strong warrior want to confide in her. And in a way, she would be sharing a role similar to what Clair was to her. While the Crimson Blades were very open with each other, it was Nel who had the most problems and Clair was the one who listened and comforted her. It was rarely the other way around.

            The idea of being his confidant was a little strange considering that as a spy, she could use any information against him later on. But after growing closer to him, she was settling in comfortably in her role as his lover and close friend. She had forgiven him for his war crimes, but didn’t forget about those he had slain. Because of that, she could boldly admit that Albel Nox was her friend- an intimate one at that- and not fear judgment from her comrades. After all- it was in Apris’ teachings to forgive others.

            And maybe… the idea of someday falling in love with him might not be so far fetched as it sounded when he first admitted that he wanted her as a wife. It was possible, but she needed to seriously think about it.

     ----------------------------------------------

AN: Sorry about the missing week. As I mentioned before in livejournal and my new wordpress site, I had to help out family with money issues.

Anyway, the closest answer I got on Nel's conditon was false pregnancy- which technically hormonal imbalances can simulate. Crongrats Numa! ...Though I guess I made it somewhat of a trick diagnosis because there was a second condition that brought out her underlying one. I wonder how many people picked up the peanut allergy thing? I was curious to see how many of my readers might've had food allergies similar to hers and would've picked up the similarities in symptoms.

Well, my weekly schedule should be back to normal now that all of the problems are settled. If there is anything else that might come up that would impede on an update, check out my livejournal or my wordpress account for more info. I'll keep those updated with the latest information. Also, I invite you to take a look at the new wordpress account (you can find a link on my author profile here). I have For the Prosperity of Aquor up there as well as the first chapter of a new original story that I will be working on alongside the fanfic project (don't worry, the fic will get first priority). See you next week (I promise)!