Nymphsaga/The Raid of Fort Hammercliff

The Great Expedition

Excerpt from the Bioengineer's Logbook; "a Study on the History, Biology and Behavior of Nymphs", entry number two, "Inception of the Nymph, Part Two."

There were no concrete plans to dispose of all the Nymphs left at the hand of the manufacturer. They didn't simply want to kill them, for they were living beings, and they thought ending their lives would be unethical. Besides, they had a fascinating species in their hands, a species they didn't simply want to go extinct and left to the annals of historians. That's why the decision was made to change the purpose of Nymphs from one thing to another.

Having been approached by a team of scientists and researchers specializing in alien biology, they made a controversial decision to settle Nymphs in a faraway alien world to study how they would adapt to a world. This was also meant to be an experiment on how a world, completely void of source, would react to the sudden influx of this dangerous and addictive substance, which we Altarians take for granted.

The place in question is called Phantasm. It is a world twenty light-years away from Altaria and the only habitable world in the orbit of its parent star. Phantasm itself is not a planet, as it actually is a large moon, about eight thousand kilometers in diameter, which orbits a gas giant in the star's habitable zone. At the time of the Nymph's arrival, it was a world shared by many different intelligent species, most of which were primitive and tribal in nature. Only one species of humanoids were capable of creating large-scale civilizations. Still, their colonization of this world was limited due to the tribal races holding territories in vast areas of Phantasm.

Nymphs are also an exception to this, as they are very intelligent. So intelligent, in fact, that they exceeded anything that Phantasm had to offer in terms of intelligence, and they still do. While their creators did help them with kickstarting their own civilization on Phantasm, they were more than capable of surviving on their own.

Everyone knew from a start that Nymphs, along with the source they produce, would shape this world and change it forever, but the researchers didn't expect much to happen. Their expectations were dramatically exceeded.

The endemic species of Phantasm developed a deep interest in source, which in many cases developed quickly into addiction. With Nymphs being the only source of "source", Phantasm quickly became dependent on it, and it didn't stop there. Over the course of a hundred years, it also affected both the long-term and short-term evolution of these species, and not in a Darwinian sense. The source would literally mutate the creatures of Phantasm to adapt to a dramatic and sudden change in their environment, shaping them like the invisible force that it is. New dominant species would rise in this new world, while some would die out and become extinct. Among these now extinct species were even the ones we hailed as the only species of this world capable of creating a civilization.

This move was at the time met with universal condemnation for its ethical implications. Our ancestors had effectively destroyed a world by introducing Nymphs and reshaped it in a way that could not be considered a good deal for anyone living in this world. Phantasm had become a prison for Nymphs, who were at the mercy of the beasts preying on them to extract source through intercourse, and it had become a hell for these beasts whose lives were now trapped in an inescapable cycle of persistent withdrawal symptoms and short bursts of gratification and pleasure. It indeed was a shameful stain on the otherwise pure and peaceful legacy of neo-industrial Altaria. The information about this incident, suppressed by politicians and media alike, was forgotten about after few decades, and left to the historians and explorers to discover.

When we returned to this forbidden and abandoned star system eight hundred years later, Phantasm had become even stranger and more bizarre. Nymphs have really shaped the world, almost like goddesses of Phantasm. Everything that Nymphs touch becomes laced with source, leaving its lingering effects on the world around them. This world is reeking with source, even more so than Altaria. Most of the surviving species have evolved to rely on Nymphs for reproduction, as the need for females of their own species had become partially obsolete. Nymphs have adapted ways to reproduce independently, too, without the need for any other species to assist them, but that is a chapter for another time.

In a strange way, modern-day Phantasm is a world of harmony even though most aliens discovering it and the truth about what happened, would probably find it hell and prefer to avoid it like the plague. It's a world that works without the need for outside interference to balance it and help its many residents, and we're sure that left on its own, it would continue to evolve for millions of years deep into the future. Our primary mission may be to research Nymphs from the perspective of visitors to a strange, source-rich world, and the core principle in our research is to not damage this world further, but that's not to say that we don't like to meddle in their business at all. The next couple of chapters will dive into the two biggest experiments conducted by our team of scientists, which were the biggest changes that the world of Phantasm had seen since Nymph's introduction.

---

Ever since the game of Nymphsaga begun, the biggest external threats that Nymphs have faced are, without a doubt, the goblins.

According to a page of lore that will be left unreleased in this story, goblins are one of the four great humanoids of Phantasm that stand above all others in terms of intelligence, at least as far as endemic species are considered. Tribal in nature, they're hunter-gatherers that wander, scattered across the entire world. They have some permanent settlements, but it is not really in their nature. Their species is genetically very diverse, and depending on the tribe and the subrace, they can vary significantly in size and even appearance. Rarely exceeding the average height of Nymphs, the smallest of them are usually little more than one meter in height, around three and a half feet on average. Still, some can grow up to be over two meters or almost seven feet tall. In their hierarchy, where strength is valued, these "hobgoblins" often occupy positions of leadership over their shorter cousins.

As far as their physical attributes go, their skin color varies from green to brown and anything in between. They have body hair similar to humans, and their skin tends to be very thick. They rarely have hair, and they have no tails either, but they do have snouts. Their eyes are small, and despite their excellent night-sight, their vision is considered subpar. They have large ears and superb hearing, though. They tend to have a lot of body fat and muscle and are pound to pound amongst the strongest endemic creatures in Phantasm, but only if you exclude insects. They also share similarities to Nymphs who hunt in groups, and they rely greatly on the use of weapons and tools, both ranged and short-range. They are not very good at casting, but they can manage the same low-tier spells that Nymphs can. Exceptions to this apply, as the bigger hobgoblins are considered vastly more intelligent than normal goblins.

Many goblins live nearby Grove because one of the most prominent tribes in Phantasm, the Hammercliff tribe, has its headquarters located in the forests nearby. Why have they settled here when it's not in their nature? Simple. Goblins, like most other creatures in Phantasm, rely on Nymphs for source and reproduction.

On this fortress on the top of a steep yet small mountain, just a few hours' walk away from Grove, many Nymphs are being held as prisoners and raped every waking moment of their daily lives. Enslaved for the sole purpose of being sexually ravaged and impregnated over and over again, goblin cocks grind and pound them day in, day out, pumping them full of thick semen while draining them of their endless source to satisfy their masters. Best of all, or worst for Nymphs, once you find yourself inside the walls of the Fort Hammercliff, there is no escape.

Many of these prisoners are from Grove, and Nymphs know this. There are stories of Nymphs being captured from right under their friend's noses and dragged away. Grove is still holding firm, especially with its protective barrier intact, but the enemy is getting stronger day by day. It may still take months before Grove will find itself overwhelmed, but it is still a matter of time. As Nymphs' numbers dwindle, the tribe grows stronger. Sooner or later, it will be too late to act.

With one and a half weeks of game time behind Nymphs of Grove, they find their ranks thinning so much that they decide to focus their efforts on crushing the goblins. They have to do it while defeating them is still relatively easy. Of course, the goblins can never get past the barrier, and Nymphs can, in theory, stay safe if they choose to never leave Grove, but do they want to become prisoners of this barrier? Nymphs of Grove actively debate this, but the answer of the large majority at the moment is "No". Besides, there's no guarantee that the barrier will be there forever. They have no reason to believe it would disappear, but Besides, what if they come across a foe that could penetrate it? Many feel like they shouldn't rule anything out.

So, the Nymphs want to take out the Hammercliff tribe, but they have one big problem: They do not know where this fortress is. They know it's somewhere to the north of Grove, but that is where their information regarding its location end. And sadly, without precise knowledge, they can not launch a large-scale counter-attack to the dangerous reaches of the forest.

With their unreliable and possibly hostile leader, High Priestess Geraldina, still locked into her pyramid with no way of getting inside or getting her out of there, new leaders have risen in her place. Not princesses or queens, not religious figures, and not even elected politicians; instead, charismatic and widely respected Nymphs have taken the initiative to motivate others around them as warlords and philosophers of sorts. They prefer to call themselves representatives and organizers, but many view them as leaders to look up to. They have even formed a council of sorts. They gather to discuss events, critical news, and possible plans for survival in a large outdoor theatre, eerily similar to those of ancient Greece, in front of an engaging public crowd, most of which are the friends of these same organizers. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to join these discussions, as most Nymphs taking the stage don't even want to be there. They simply feel that someone must.

Nymphs, like humans, are people who have very different opinions, people who subscribe to different political ideologies. Nymphs, in fact, disagree on many things, but the vast majority of them do agree on one thing: To survive, they must stick together in a strong collective. This is a war of survival they're fighting. That's why every decision is made by a vote through direct democracy, where everyone is committed to following the majority's decision. Sometimes it can be tough for the minority, and sometimes they might even make bad decisions, but it's what Nymphs in Grove have decided and what they all stick to, both in good and bad.

Coming out from this hub is news about a decision to deal a killing blow to the Hammercliff tribe and rescue the captive Nymphs, as voted by an overwhelming majority. Most of the expeditions to the unknown will now be focused towards the northern region, as Nymphs concentrate their efforts on discovering the location of Fort Hammercliff. Wendy, having represented her own group of friends, was present in these discussions. She is considered to be sort of a community leader by many Nymphs even though she does not actively participate in public meetings and only is only present to vote and listen. Her face is widely recognized as an active member of the community and a reliable Nymph capable of organizing and leading expeditions into the unknown.

Having just heard the news from their leader, the quintet of Rain, Wendy, Angel, Pink, and Lemon decides to head north on their next adventure to help the collective community find and eventually reach Fort Hammercliff. Having reached the supposedly maximum level of four, they have upgraded their arsenals, wardrobes, and professions accordingly and are in a prime position to succeed in their adventure.

Now, why "supposedly maximum level of four", you might wonder? Nymphs also wonder about it, as it is impossible to gain any more experience after level four. There is a fifth level, but nobody knows yet how to get there. Most well-studied Nymphs suspect it has something to do with professions, as they all offer new abilities to players. There is Rain's "Soul Trap" spell and Wendy's "Inspection" ability as two previously mentioned examples. As one additional example, there is Pink's "Transformation" ability, which she can use to magically dress up in magically conjured, extremely powerful clothes for a short time, gaining a temporary boost in power. It could be that professions could offer even unique passive talents in the future that could drastically affect Nymph's performances, thus making them more powerful in the process.

Before we advance the story, why don't I go through some of the talents they have picked? After all, these talents are directly linked to their abilities and give a good idea of how they fight.

First off is Rain, who has picked "Athletics" and "Speed" as her talents. "Athletics" is helpful for her since it is a talent that allows her to move easier and with less stamina being consumed. In addition to being a successful raider, she is also quite experienced as a duelist from her days in Mormia. Because of this, she can fully utilize her athletic skills in gymnastics and parkour, making her untouchable against ordinary enemies in one-on-one situations. Given that she's supposed to be a tank for the party, this is very useful because she is weak to direct attacks. No need to worry about that when you're not even getting hit! "Speed" is a no-brainer for her as well, as it makes her quicker in every way possible. Together with "Athletics", it eliminates almost all of the stamina usage from her movements, allowing her to sprint insane distances without breaking a sweat while focusing her stamina on attacks. Needless to say, these two talents go well with each other. This combination of talents also allows her to use different kinds of weapons as well, but so far, she has only opted to use big swords because of her past experience with them.

"Athletics" is a talent available for rangers as well, and it actually is Wendy's first talent of choice. While she is a ranger, she prefers mid to short-range, as pistols in Nymphsaga are designed for that. Moving quickly on the battlefield is critically important for her, and so is dodging incoming attacks. Her second talent choice is "Ammo Specialization", which allows its user to completely change the nature of any ammunition, changing it from physical to literally anything else. She wants to do this because Rain and Lemon already rely on pure physical damage, and they can't rely on elemental damage as much. This is not an easy feat to do, as changing the element requires a "Spell Crystal" to be equipped, which, as previously mentioned, are also used by casters to unlock a specific spell set in the game. Wendy is lucky to get an Arcane Stone quickly, allowing her to shoot magical bullets dealing arcane damage.

Angel's first choice was obviously "Restoration", as she is fully committed to being a healer. It's a talent that boosts both her restorative abilities and mana regeneration slightly. Not much explanation is needed there. Her other talent is "Barriercraft" which, unlike the previously mentioned ones, is not a passive ability but rather an ability to learn protective barrier spells, which can then be used for all kinds of defensive purposes. She mostly gets this as an additional means of protecting her allies, and more importantly, herself. A protective barrier, for example, can block a single attack and be vital in situations where Nymph is surprised from behind.

Pink is a reckless mid to short-range caster. As a weapon, she uses bracelets, which make her an unarmed caster, making her immune to disarming effects. Bracelets also quicken casting speeds at the cost of limited accuracy and range. Of course, in theory, she can hit targets very far away, but it is not easy, especially when you consider her playstyle. She concentrates most of her efforts on explosive spell power by sacrificing her defenses. She relies entirely on movement for defense but is not as athletic as Rain and Wendy because of her limitations regarding class choices. This is why she prefers to join the battle late by conjuring up a great spell, mostly so she wouldn't get the attention of enemies drawn towards her. With her previously mentioned "Transformation" spell, she can turn herself into a "Magical Girl" of sorts and actually defend herself for a little by imbuing her fists and feet with magic. However, while the most powerful ability in her arsenal, it's not very reliable, especially when used as an offensive measure, as she can maintain the transformation only for about a dozen seconds every five minutes or so.

Pink's first talent choice is "Instant Casting", which allows her to decrease all of her spell's cast times by a little. While attacks that require little to no casting become instant, they're not actually something she can conjure on demand, as instead of having a cast time, they get a cooldown equal to the length of the cast time. Of course, it's still preferable, as she can shoot better while moving and can shoot instantly after taking aim. Her second talent is "Dual Slots", which allows her two equip two Spell Crystals at once, a valuable talent for learning a wider arsenal of spells. At the moment, she has access to a rare tier-three Spell Crystal, which has both the fire and lightning elements attached to it, as well as a lesser arcane stone, which she doesn't care about too much. She wants to change it to something else.

Lastly, there's Lemon, who prefers to stay as far away from her enemies as possible as her sole defense, unlike most members of this group. She can't move well with a heavy and cumbersome weapon, so she relies on stealth and distance, all while having an ability to catch them off surprise, dealing massive damage in the process. It fits her very well, as she is not naturally athletic and not very well trained in virtual reality gaming environments. She is very observant and aware of her surroundings, though, and very good at aiming.

Lemon's first talent is "Stealth", which passively makes her invisible to enemies as long as she stays still and keeps a reasonable distance. She can still be sensed through sound, smell, and even overflow of source, but that's a minor problem, especially in a group setting where the attention of enemies is concentrated in nearby enemies. The initial damage from the stealth shot is always multiplied by three, and critical hits to vital organs further deal double damage, making "stealth shots" extremely deadly. Because these attacks require a lot of setup, they are not as overpowered as they may sound. Still, it's enough to kill even strong enemies with only one shot, making it a desirable talent. It is also worth pointing out that stealth will immediately break after the first attack and won't work on the same enemy as long as it has her in its sights. Her second talent is "Longshot, " which increases the damage based on her distance from her enemy. Given that she's good at aiming and that her two talents work well with each other, she is not only the heaviest hitter of all the Nymphs in the group but also perhaps as heavy a hitter as a Nymph can theoretically be. She's the silent assassin who watches over the rest of the group from afar, catching off her enemies by surprise before they can even know what hit them. Given her slowness and vulnerability, this truly makes her a "glass cannon" in the most literal sense of the term.

---

Now, back to the more relevant parts of the story.

The group of five departs from the Grove towards the north with plans of even venturing far away. Having been relatively successful for the past few days, they're not afraid of the dangers lurking in the forest. They come across a cliff and see a mountainous landscape ahead with white, bald cliffs rising from the midst of the thick forest. Somewhere here lies their target.

"It seems like we made it to the cliffs", Wendy says and looks around herself. She was told about the area in the public gathering, and she recognizes it immediately. "Now, where do we get down?"

"I'm more worried about how we get up once we're down there", Angel points out.

"Oh, don't worry", Wendy says, reassuring Angel that it's okay. "There should be multiple ways to get up and down without climbing."

Lemon joins in discussion with a suggestion. "Should our first priority be mapping this area on top of the cliffs? If we can secure a safe route, it will make going back and forth from the valley to Grove easier and faster."

"Remember that little rock we walked past ten minutes ago?" Wendy says. "Someone at the council meeting gave everyone several markings about the area, as mapped by her own party, so we can use them as our checkpoints. The little rock is the best one, in my opinion. We just need to find the closest place to get down and mark that as our second checkpoint, and we've basically secured a safe route."

Lemon nods with a happy smile on her face. "Oh, so that's what the stone was about."

"In any case, that was one long fucking walk", Rain says and sighs. "I already wanna take a break."

"We can relax for five minutes, no problem", Wendy says. "Everyone okay with that?"

There are no disagreements. They get away from the cliff, where they could possibly be seen from below, and they sit down for a quick breather.

---

After finding a good place to go down into the valley below, they take one final stroll back towards their first checkpoint in hopes of securing a good route for their inevitable return. While doing this, Lemon, following the group from a distance to keep track of what's behind them, notices something in the corner of her eyes. It's a sole goblin scout, a little green bastard with black eyes hidden behind his thick and flabby cheeks and forehead, wearing nothing but a pair of ripped leather pants. This goblin is walking straight towards the unsuspecting group of four who are more tightly packed to one place. Lemon does not know if this is a coincidence, but the goblin seems to act hostile, having his daggers drawn out. This causes her to draw her bow, take aim and tighten the bowstring to its limits. She can't just alert her friends, as the enemy would hear. Besides, goblins never act alone.

It must be accompanied by others, but where are they? Lemon can't see any other goblins anywhere. Should I try killing the goblin right away? She's one hundred percent sure she could do it, but she's afraid to initiate combat.

"You should've shot."

A rough voice startles Lemon, who feels her heart skipping a beat. She turns her head around to see a giant goblin, way taller than any other she has seen before, wielding a massive club. He is already preparing for a swing, and Lemon manages to dodge it at the last second. Having blown her cover, there is only one thing left to do, and that is alert the allies.

"They're here!" she screams.

Immediately, four Nymphs walking together ahead of Lemon all turn towards different directions, drawing their weapons. Rain is the first to see the hobgoblin harassing Lemon, now trying to grab hold of her with his hands. Rain rushes in for help and scares the goblin away with a swing of her own, an attack that the hobgoblin manages to dodge masterfully. Standing erect, he is a little over one and a half meters in size. Taller, more muscular, and definitely fatter than Rain, he looks like a genuinely menacing foe. Even smaller goblins can be formidable opponents with their unpredictable attack patterns and teamwork, but this one is an absolute monster, an elite goblin. It's not a foe that Rain feels confident about defeating.

"What's the matter?" the hobgoblin asks. "Scared?"

Rain is immediately shocked to hear this monster speak clear English. It's the first time for her, as the monsters she has faced so far have not been able to speak in familiar languages. She knows that goblins have an advanced language of their own, and even understand some important keywords from English, but this one can do much more. "Hide somewhere, Lemon", Rain says, putting herself in between her friend and her opponent. "You know what to do."

Lemon nods and runs away, trying to find a new position to attack from.

Meanwhile, trouble is heading towards the casters accompanied by their leader. There is the scout dual-wielding his daggers, and then there are two other melee fighters, as well as a caster. Angel, who cannot do any damage against the enemy, retreats towards a more centralized position, leaving the fight to her allies as she focuses on healing all four of them. Meanwhile, Pink tries to lure two enemies in for a melee and activates her transformation ability to lash out some punishment on them as soon as they come within range. Surprised by the explosive close-range attacks, the goblins take heavy hits and take a few steps back in retreat, assuming defensive positions. Pink must attack as fast as she can, as her transformation truly lasts for only a short time. She manages to finish off only one of her opponents before her transformation fades out, leaving her exhausted. Thinking he now has an easy task at hand striking his enemy down, the final goblin attacks with a powerful, downward swing of his sword. He doesn't see the fireball coming towards his face and combusts magnificently. While safe for a moment, Pink realizes that Angel's heals are not quite on point and has to gather her strength on her own for now.

Angel has her hands full with Rain and Wendy, and having seen that Pink managed to survive, she takes a calculated risk of ignoring her. She knows that Pink could be ambushed by another wave of enemies but considering that no such wave seems to be on their way, she thinks she's doing the right thing. Besides, in addition to having to heal Rain, who has her hands full with the hobgoblin, Angel sees Wendy in trouble with a shield-bearing goblin together with a fire caster as her opponents, needing help badly.

Against two melee damage dealers, Wendy would have no problems. Hell, she could probably even manage two offensive casters, but she has trouble against two very different enemies, especially since she finds tanky enemies to be her Achilles' heel. Despite wielding a shield, this tall rank A goblin is very fast. Having his shield up constantly, Wendy can't get a good shot in. She finds herself in a constant run, desperately trying to get away from her enemy. Eventually, she finds a single opening and manages to shoot the defenseless caster on his shoulder, barely missing the heart. The caster immediately takes cover to heal and recover, leaving Wendy to focus on the shield-bearing and flail-wielding goblin. However, having turned her attention away for a second proves to be fatal.

Enemy charges towards her, striking her with a shoulder tackle and sends her into a stunned shock. Barely on her feet, she falls on her knees, only to find out that another inescapable flail hit is coming for her. She must try to block it, but her two little pistols are not at all designed to take hits. The impact causes her to disarm instantly, sending her flying flat on her back, unsurprisingly finding herself hurting and in pain. The poorly-blocked attack drains her stamina to zero, rendering her unable to act.

Since Nymphs don't have health points, as previously explained, all damage received comes in the form of stamina degeneration, but that's not all. Having taken a "fatal" blow, Wendy can see her stamina bar literally shrinking. She finds herself asking, could it actually be a health bar after all? If she takes damage when she has no stamina left to degenerate, what happens to her? Is that the point when the Nymphs really die? She knows she won't be getting her answer because the goblins don't want Nymphs dead; they want them as slaves for reproduction. Disarmed, stunned, unable to move, and at the mercy of her enemy, she starts wondering, What the hell is happening?, Are we seriously losing?, and What's keeping my friends from saving me?

Angel realizes the plight of Wendy the instant she lets out a cry of pain, being struck by a flail. She can't see Wendy from the angle she is, especially with the goblin blocking her with his body, and she can't just target Wendy by clicking on some button on her user interface either. Every spell must be manually aimed and have a clear route to travel through, even those that do not require a travel distance to reach their targets instantly. Her spells can't go through trees, and they especially can't go through enemies, as the enemy would just absorb her spells. Goblins can't take holy damage, she recalls. I would end up just healing it. She at least manages to restore Pink's stamina, who has already gotten to her feet.

"Pink, we've you've got to save Wendy!" Angel calls out. "They're going to capture her!"

Realizing what's going on, Pink runs for rescue, but her sprint is cut short. Enemy reinforcements are on the way, and the three of them challenge Pink, forcing her to take this fight alone. Knowing she has limited time before Wendy is captured, she realizes she has to pull all stops.

Meanwhile, Rain finds herself in a duel where neither fighter can get a hit. As nimble as Rain is, this elite goblin is just as fast and agile. Instead of having just one repeating attack pattern, the hobgoblin has at least five different attack patterns that Rain knows of. All of them are executed in random order, and they all can be interrupted mid-pattern if Rain tries to capitalize on them. When Rain attacks, the enemy dodges regardless of how his current pattern is progressing. Frustrating as it may be to admit it for her, this is not an enemy that she can defeat alone. In fact, this is the kind of enemy that no Nymph could ever defeat alone, no matter how strong they would get. He is simply that much better than a Nymph; bigger, faster, stronger, and more importantly, way more durable. He can never run out of stamina, but Rain sure can. Rain knows she can't run away either, as she would just get caught trying. It is inevitable. She will lose eventually because he is a superior being.

However, she knows she has help, and just like that, this help arrives in the form of a single arrow, piercing the goblin's left pectoral muscle to deal massive damage. Angry and roaring, the hobgoblin rushes towards Rain, enraged. He doesn't even care that Rain uses this opportunity to try and attack, as the enemy just runs straight through her. Rain fails her attack, falling flat on the ground instead, at least for a split second, as she's quick to pounce back. The enemy has his sights set on Lemon, But where the fuck is she!? Rain doesn't have a clue and falls in a state of panic. In the direction of the cliff, she realizes and sprints at her enemy, trying to stay on his heels.

Pink, separated from Wendy, still desperately tries to reach her. There are three goblins in the way, all pushing her back. All damage she does is negated by heals one of them while the two others make sure that she can't finish the healer off. She can see that one of the goblins on top of Wendy has rope and cloth with him, which he uses to subdue her, but there is nothing she can do to help her. She also quickly realizes that Rain and Lemon are also gone, having vanished to the mist of war. Scared and not knowing what she should even do, she asks herself, Is this it for us? We're losing and badly.

To her, the situation feels eerily similar to that time she was last time ambushed by a group of goblins. She got separated from her allies and never saw any of them again. She knows that their party has been defeated, so should she just escape right away? No, she answers. There is still one Nymph left standing, and that is Angel. They can't defeat the enemies together, but she is determined to help Angel escape as well. I won't leave her behind, she decides. Together, we have a better chance of escaping. We may not be able to save Wendy, Lemon, or Rain anymore, but if we help each other, then at least we can get back to Grove and regroup.

Angel sees the situation with the same eyes as Pink, except she is much more terrified of what's going on. She has known Wendy for so long, and now she's going to be taken away from right under her nose? Not only that, but she's powerless to stop it, as none of her abilities even work on goblins. She also sees that Rain and Lemon are gone along with the hobgoblin. She remembers hearing a strong bestial roar, but at the time, she didn't think much of it, as it looked to her like the hobgoblin was being damaged. She looks at Pink, who is looking back at her, almost as if trying to ask her something. Neither says a word. Both simply try to look for answers.

Pink swears in her mind, and that is the moment she takes a run towards Angel. She grabs her hand, urging her to run. "Let's get out of here! There's nothing we can do!"

It is a tough pill to swallow, but Angel agrees, mostly because she's not brave enough to even think about staying to fight. Together, they run away towards the first random direction only to realize that enemy is at their heels. "I don't think we can make it!" she cries out.

"Can't you make a barrier or something!?"

"It takes time, and I would have to stay still!"

Pink can't even believe she's going to suggest it, but she says it anyway: "What if we split up? That way, they only get one of us!"

Angel responds with an enfatic "No". "Just keep running! We can both make it!"

Pink knows there is still time until she can transform again, and even that wouldn't probably save them. Alone against three is too tall of a task even with a massive power-up. All they can do is run, but their batteries are running low. It is only a matter of time before they get caught.

With half a minute of desperate escape behind the duo, something appears moving towards them from the front. It's a small figure, fast on its feet, a Nymph charging towards the goblins. Pink and Angel see others as well a little farther away, a total of four more. It's another group of five Nymphs. They stop on their tracks, and Angel proceeds to help the one charging in out.

This Nymph is fast, way faster than Rain. She's wearing much lighter clothing and wields lighter weapons as well. She manages to take out the healer quickly in a quick burst of attacks, and her allies quickly follow. There is a gunner with a rifle, a swordsman similar to Rain, an offensive caster wielding a staff, and an unarmed supportive caster. Outnumbered now seven to two, leftover goblins are defeated in a flash. The eyes of this supportive caster and Angel meet, and they recognize each other. It's Melody.

"Is that you, Angel?" she asks, eyes wide behind her rectangular glasses. She rushes to Angel, immediately casting her restorative spell on her, as Angel cannot do so herself. "What happened here?"

"It was an ambush… There are way too many of them… We ended up getting scattered…"

"How far away are they?" asks the dagger-wielding, tan-skinned Nymph.

"I think we ran for at least thirty seconds…" Pink says, out of breath. "By the time we got away, Rain and Lemon were already gone… Wendy got taken away as we escaped…"

A deep, collective sigh is released. "I don't think we can catch up to them anymore…" Melody says.

"It's worth a try", says the gunner. "Let's go search for a moment."

"Yes, of course", Melody answers and nods in agreement. She takes out a mana potion and offers it to Angel. "You're a healer, right? Take this. Let's take care of these hotshots together."

Angel nods slowly. With haste, lead by Angel and Pink, seven Nymphs head back to the battlefield.

---

In the end, they find the place to be empty, with only two little floating loot boxes left behind as a depressing reminder of how little success they indeed had. They search for a moment but end up finding nothing, not even clues. They can't see anything down in the forest below either. Three Nymphs disappeared that day into the woods at the hands of goblins, with only the fate of Wendy being clear. Subdued and tied up by the goblins, she has been dragged away by them towards Fort Hammercliff. It is now Wendy's fate to join many other Nymphs as prisoners of goblins to serve as a sex slaves for them.

That is what they're certain of, but what about Rain and Lemon? What happened to the hobgoblin? Nobody knows except them, and nobody will not know about it for the time being either, but the seven Nymphs hope that the fate of these two will be revealed soon. For now, however, their fate shall remain unknown.

Angel and Pink, together with the five Nymphs who by a miracle's chance happened to be nearby to save them, head back towards Grove.

Fort Hammercliff, Part One

Excerpt from the Gamer's Logbook; "Exploring the Mechanics of Nymphsaga", entry number ???, "Nymphs and Mortality, Part One: Damage and Stamina Degeneration."

Make no mistake about it: Nymphs are NOT immortal. They will die if their bodies take too much damage.

That being said, Nymphsaga is not a game where enemies are trying to kill players, nor is it a game where Nymph's blood will be spilled by them. Rather, the primary motivation of enemies lies in rendering Nymphs unable to defend themselves, subduing them, and capturing them. Sword strikes cannot cut player's limbs, and crushing blows will not flatten their organs. They can feel extreme pain, but their bodies will last anything that's thrown at them. Nymphs are ethereal in a sense that attacks will cut through them, leaving behind only a temporary mark.

All damage, both magical and physical, is done through stamina degeneration, where stamina gets drained away from players as they take damage. The stamina bar has two layers to it, out of which the first one is stamina that can be used by Nymphs for various tasks, and the second one is the bar itself. As Nymphs take damage or suffer through other physically demanding torments such as rape, their stamina bar will eat itself away, reducing the maximum amount of stamina they can recover until there is almost nothing left. Other things that can reduce the maximum stamina are hunger, thirst, lack of sleep, and other physical needs. Nymphs only need a small fraction of what humans need to survive and can live without food or drink for up to three days without consequences, but these needs cannot be ignored completely.

When the bar is reduced to being just 5% of its original size, Nymph's body will collapse and break down, sending them into a "fainted state" where they will not be able to function normally anymore. If in captivity, they continue their lives as nothing more than powerless ragdolls. Yet, their minds will last, as they must endure whatever happens to them afterward. Nymphs can be physically killed only while in a "fainted state", but this is extremely rare, especially in the hands of enemies. The degenerated bar will not be restored by heals and instead must be recharged by a comfortable good night's sleep.

---

With the assistance of their allies, Pink and Angel return securely home. Left feeling defeated and helpless, they can only imagine what their friends are going through right now. All they want to do is help, but they must first figure out where their friends are. Frustratingly for them, that's not something they can do alone.

In addition to Melody, the modestly dressed purple-haired bookworm, acting leader, a strategist, and the quiet healer of her group, there are four additional members to the group that saved Pink's and Angel's hides. Melody is pretty much identical to Angel in her body shape and looks pretty much human as well.

Candy is Melody's best friend, but also her lover. In fact, they are lovers in real life, but that is a story for another time. She's a tanned cold killer in a skimpy outfit consisting of shorts made of jeans cloth and a bikini top, wielding daggers and striking with havoc from the shadows. She's about average in height but has a very skinny body with no curves to boast about. Her dark brown hair is messy and wild and short in length. She also appears fully human. She's kind of similar to Melody as far as being a quiet girl goes, but instead of just being a naturally serious personality, she's just ridiculously shy. She prefers to stay silent, as she doesn't like participating in idle chit-chat. She's pretty much only talkative during combat and strategy discussions.

Their swordsnymph (a funny word that) is called Luna, and despite her similar choice of weapon, she's a very different fighter to Rain, as she relies on strength and elemental damage instead of quickness. There is a talent similar to "Ammo Specialisation" available for soldiers as well, which imbues weapons with a magical coating. Like Angel and Melody, she has a little more mature body than your average Nymph and is actually the tallest of the group, standing at 138 centimeters tall. She's a blonde with hair reaching up to her shoulders, which she has decorated with a single pigtail sticking out from the side of her head. Dressed up modestly in long pants reaching all the way to her ankles and a cute pink sleeveless shirt as a top, she dresses up like an average person in the real world would, which is unusual for Nymphs. She looks like a human too. Personality-wise, she's exactly what you would expect a young, socially extroverted teenage girl to act like. Athletic, intelligent, and kind, she's kind of like your stereotypical popular, good-at-everything "barbie" girl in school, who all the other popular girls want to hang out with, and who makes all the boys fall over like dominos. Well, she is pretty much like that in real life as well, except for the fact that she's a closeted VR-MMO nerd.

Then, there is Nora, the staff-wielding caster and the first of two "abnormals" in the group. She's pretty much what you would expect a stereotypical Dark Elf or a Drow to be, with long pointy ears and dark, greyish skin. A little bit on the shorter side, she is very petite indeed. Her dark hair has a strange, blue hue to it, and her eyes are purple. Her outfit is just as skimpy as Candy's, but she has a miniskirt instead of shorts. She's a hybrid between a supporter and a damage dealer, and she relies on both strengthening her allies through positive status effects and ice magic to dish out punishment. It is also worth pointing out that she's wearing a scarf. Like Rain and Pink, she's a bit of a joker. A natural-born optimist, she finds joy in everything. Still, overall, she's a calm and collected personality.

And last, there is Laura, a cute little gnomish girl with a round yet cute nose and jug ears pointing out from her long and wavy brunette hair. She's about the same size as Pink with a slightly juicier butt. She is, however, nowhere near as juicy as the taller girls in her group, as she is still pretty petite. Her clothing consists of brown short shorts and a cute vest, covering a plain, black short-sleeve T-shirt. She's a gunner who opts to use a futuristic rifle, similar to Wendy's pistols. Her role is more similar to Lemon's, though, with a notable lack of reliance on stealth. Instead, she relies on her "Accuracy" talent as an aim-bot and likes running around on the battlefield. As far as personality goes… Well, let's just say that she's as loud as her gun is; there is no silencer.

Now, inside the protective barrier, Pink and Angel pretty much instantly collapse to their knees. Angel has already been doing her best not to cry, but having lost two of her dearest friends into the unknown, she can't hold it in anymore. "I felt so worthless…" she says, weeping. "We lost so easily, and I could do nothing…"

Luna is first to comfort her with a light hug from behind. "It wasn't your fault. It could've happened to anyone."

"Yeah, no kidding", Melody says and sighs. "We've faced adversities similar to that and managed by a hair's margin."

"From what I understood, you were against way too many enemies at once", Laura says. "We would've lost too. Any group of five would've."

"We should've escaped when we all had a chance…" Pink says, mourning. "I'm not sure if we would've made it anyway, though…"

"It's no use worrying about it now", Melody says. "I do assume that you two want to help out your friends. If you have nobody else to join, then join us."

Angel nods deeply. "Yes… I will join you…"

"It's only a matter of time until we find that fortress and raid it empty", Luna says, offering her hand to Angel, and drags her to her feet. "Your friends will be saved."

"So, what's the plan?" Pink asks.

"For now", Melody says, "we rest and gather our strength. We eat, restock, take a nap, and prepare for an expedition later in the afternoon. Is that alright by you girls?"

There are no complaints to be voiced, not even from Angel. As much as she wants to go out there immediately and try to help her friends, she knows she can't rush to her doom, especially not alone. She must rely on her newfound allies and the community, and more importantly, she must be patient. "Then, I will go home for the time being… I have a lot to think about."

Nora comes to her and taps her on the shoulder. "Be sure to eat well, sweetie. In fact, would you like for me to cook you something?"

"I-it's fine…" Angel answers, cracking a smile. "I've actually done meal prep for tonight, so I can handle my own meal."

"I don't mean to intrude, but I would love a good meal", Pink says.

Nora grabs Pink's hand gleefully and nods. "Come with me then! You've been through a lot, so just lay low, and let me shower you with tasty treats!"

On their way back towards the residential areas, they come across a Nymph unfamiliar to Angel and Pink but very familiar to the rest. This tiny Nymph, with the same body type, that Pink has, is called Dana, a half-elf like Rain with strange, star-shaped irises. Her magnificently long wavy white hair is tied with a giant red bowtie with polka dots in it, and her frilly, white summer dress comes with a colorful flowery pattern on its short skirt. Overall, she looks like a girl straight out of the 1950s.

"Would you look at that! You've returned safe and sound", Dana says, crossing her arms, and walks up to Melody. "What's up?"

"Ah, nothing much", Melody says, with a rare smile on her face. "Bad luck on our expedition, but we managed to save some unfortunate friends who had their friends taken away by goblins."

"Oh, poor souls…" Dana says with a genuinely sympathetic tone. "Yeah, I actually wanted to talk about goblins. Someone is claiming to have found the fortress."

"What!?" Melody raises her voice, and a light appears on her face. Everyone else seems equally surprised. "So quickly?"

"Yeah, turns out that the decision to focus our efforts towards one place turned out to be a good one", Dana says. "There's a council discussion in three hours to make sure that the place she is talking about is genuine. Spread the word. Tell everyone you meet, and make sure to be there in time."

"Yes, yes, of course", Melody says. "In fact, would you like me to join you right away?"

"You're not tired from the adventure?"

"Well, I mean… This is more important."

"Just rest, okay?" After saying this, Dana waves Melody goodbye and walks away.

Angel is left speechless and very happy indeed. Who would've guessed that they could be able to help their friends so soon? Of course, she still can't get ahead of herself, as they still don't know what awaits them at the fortress, but she's feeling particularly strong and optimistic about the future now.

"You heard the girl, so spread the word", Melody says.

"Wow, you're such a poet", Nora says, giggling.

"Shut it", Melody says, visibly blushing and looking away embarrassed. She hates being teased.

"Who was she anyway?" Pink asks with a curious tone.

"Oh, you haven't been at the council discussions at the outdoor theater?" Laura asks. "She's one of the girls who organize those gatherings together with several others. She's kind of a big deal."

"Oh, I didn't know that…" Pink says.

"She's such a good girl", Nora says, still giggling.

Because they all live kind of apart from each other, they scatter quickly in different directions. Melody and Candy go in their own direction, while the others go together to Nora's place to enjoy the dinner Nora is about to make them.

---

Earlier it was established that the goblin that has defeated Wendy subdued her with ropes and cloth, as seen by Pink. Let us roll back time to that very moment and go forward from there.

With no stamina left and without her weapons, Wendy cannot save herself and finds no assistance from her allies. She doesn't know about any of her friend's fates, and she will not know either, at least not until she either escapes or is saved by someone.

The now unarmed goblin pushes her hands down, and with her pitiable strength, she can't even hope to raise her body from underneath this monster's weight. She tries to kick him, but her attacks are proven to be ineffective. It's like kicking a heavy sack of potatoes: nothing she does makes the goblin budge. In a last attempt of desperation, Wendy's vicious knee strike catches the private parts of this goblin. Alas, this kick proves to be ineffective as well. The goblin, wearing some kind of protection underneath its leather pants, just laughs with its inhumane cackle and leans closer, as if trying to lick her face or steal a kiss. Eyes wide open, dodging its lips white-faced in disgust, she trembles, and her body freezes. With his strange accent, the goblin says one understandable word: "Naughty…"

Together with the injured mage, he discusses something in a language foreign to her. It reminds her of no language she has ever heard. The pronunciation sounds Germanic, they speak fast like Spanish or Japanese, and the words themselves are all over the place. Wendy sees the goblin apply some clear liquid to one of the cloths, and before Wendy can even realize what's going on, this cloth is placed on her face. She begins to struggle as she breathes in this foul liquid. It drains away all her strength, but strangely enough, it won't knock her out. Left paralyzed, she's still very much awake.

The goblin takes another piece of dry cloth and rolls it up to a tube, pushing it down on Wendy's mouth, forcing it between her teeth, tying it up, and gagging her up completely. Goblins then turn her to her stomach, and they tie her up. Raised to the goblin's shoulder, laying limp like a rolled-up rug, she is taken away. Her head faced towards the trail behind, she looks around the battlefield only to see it empty. Everyone has disappeared, the rest of the goblins included.

She can't see where they're heading, but she suspects that they're heading towards the direction Nymphs expected the fortress to be in, which is a good sign. There are five goblins in the party, three of who joined the group midway, and the group has no elites in it, so should they come across a party of Nymphs, they would probably be defeated. Wendy knows this is her last lifeline, as escape seems otherwise impossible. The walk is long, and the tension is excruciating. Minute by minute, she becomes surer of her demise, a fate she is not mentally ready for. She knows that she's not going to get simply raped for few minutes, only to be saved instantly, like was the case with Angel and the spider, or Pink and the wolf. She knows that she's going to be raped repeatedly by monsters that are bigger and stronger than her, and these monsters are going to knock her up as well. She knows it, she hates it, and she wants none of it. Just thinking about it makes her skin crawl.

She could be wrong about how long the journey took, but it felt like an hour to her, give or take. It makes her feel optimistic about getting saved because now she knows that the fortress is two to three hours of walking away from Grove. In the unlikely best-case scenario, she doesn't have to be a slave for any more than a couple of hours. Of course, she can't rule out the possibility of it lasting for days, or weeks, or hell, even months.

As the name suggests, the grey stone fortress is built on top of a steep mountain, with its lower parts constructed at the foot of the cliff. Wendy couldn't see it from the outside, but from the inside, it looks too ornate and splendid to be built by mere goblins. She could be just feeding into the stereotype of low intellect, primitive, cave-dwelling goblin, but she finds it strange nonetheless. Besides, the place kind of looks like a giant hall of a ruined temple. Could it be that it was built by the extinct civilization discussed in the recent lore book regarding the history of Nymphs and Phantasm, and then later found by the goblins for them to set up a camp in? A little food for thought for Wendy in this desperate situation.

She can't marvel at the beauty of these ruins for much longer as they go through an iron door into a tunnel heading down deep beneath the surface. Inside this narrow corridor are several rooms, locked behind bars like a row of jail cells, and inside many of them must be captive Nymphs. She can't see any of them since the rooms seem to be behind long corridors, but moans and cries can be heard everywhere. There are multiple distinct sources and many different voices, some of which are still full of life, and others that already sound exhausted and defeated. Some sound scared, while others sound surprisingly willing. Have they given up? Wendy doesn't know the answer, but she can't imagine herself being reduced to such a state. She absolutely can't let it happen.

As soon as the goblins find the first empty cell, they carry Wendy inside. There are no locks, but the doors and handles look too heavy for her to open up alone. For now, though, it remains open. They walk her to a small room lit up by nothing but eerie, magical lights. There's nothing but grey stone around, along with some dark iron bars and chains. There seems to be a wooden rack on the wall as well, lined up with tools and toys for sexual plays, or as she would like to say it, "torture". And last, there is a stone slab in the middle of the room, supposed to be some sort of table. Having carried her for the entire time, the shield-bearer goblin lays her down roughly on top of it and leaves her sitting up, tied up. Wendy stares at the goblin dead in the eyes, but the goblin doesn't pay attention to her, not yet. Instead, he discusses something with others while laughing and smiling. Left out of the discussion, unable to understand what they're saying, she's now more afraid than before.

A rattling sound startles her. A chain drags through the cold, hard floor, and one of the goblins has an iron collar in his hand. Wendy tries to struggle for a moment, but she is being held in place, pushed down against the stone slab. Collar finds her neck and the goblin locks it in tight. It has a lot of room to move, and Wendy could probably fit even her palms under it, but fitting a head through it is impossible. It's the ultimate proof of slavery. She's shackled to an iron collar, connected to a strong iron chain which in turn is attached to the wall.

First, they rip the cloth off her face, almost as if wanting to hear her cry. Then come the bladed weapons. Cold steel kisses her body but dares not to cut her skin. Their tips slowly find their way underneath the ropes tying her in place and, more importantly, underneath her clothes. Hands tied behind her back, she watches as the package starts to unravel. Staring from her belly all the way to the neck, a sharp knife cuts through the cloth and the rope, slowly revealing her body. First for goblins to feast their eyes on are her belly button and her flat chest, licking their lips at the sight of two tiny nipples.

Wendy begins to squeal. Horrified, she can't hold back the tears. They cut her legs free, and at the same time, hands drag on her shoes and on her socks, and then, on her belt. They rip it open and cut up her pants. Now, somewhat free, out from the ropes, she tries to resist only to find out how weak she truly is. She is nothing against the hands that undress her. Piece by piece, they expose her body, leaving her naked as her clothes are ripped away. Even ties from her hands are cut. With not even a piece of string left between her toes, her body lays bare underneath the lustful eyes.

The same can be said about the goblins. One by one, they take off the little gear they have, leaving back their weapons as well. Wendy gets one good glimpse of a green, erect goblin cock before she lets out a clear and girly scream, a voice she didn't even think she would be capable of producing. Goblins are short, but their genitals are proportionally large. We're talking about a cock of an average human adult attached to a one-meter body.

Offering no wait, no foreplay, nothing at all, they drag her straight into the deep end.

It starts with one goblin grabbing her ankles and pulling her legs apart. The same goblin that defeated her will be the first to rape her and steal away her virginity. To the very last moment, Wendy shakes her hips defiantly and keeps pushing her knees towards each other in a sorry attempt to close her legs, but her quim is already exposed and defenseless. The goblin pushes his body forward as he pulls Wendy towards the edge of the stone slab, forcing his body between Wendy's legs, making it physically impossible for her to close them anymore. She still flails her legs around, and she even presses her now freed hands against the fat belly of the goblin, almost as if trying to push him away.

As soon as she opens up her eyes to look, she freezes though. A cock is standing erect over her belly, reaching all the way up to her belly button, with the tip being just barely over it. She's still trying to push, but she's doing her best to not touch it. She doesn't want her skin to even accidentally graze it. She's disgusted to her stomach by it. There might as well be a deadly snake on her belly, ready to bite.

Don't you DARE put that thing in me, is what she wants to say, with a furious tone, but she is not capable of it. She can manage simple words like "No" and "Please no", which do not really line up with her anger. All she can do is weep in panic and pray for it to stop. But no matter how much her tears flow, no matter how she struggles and screams and cries, the goblin won't stop. His hunger for source is bottomless, and he will do anything to get his cock wet with a Nymph.

First, the goblin releases his hands from the ankles, grabbing hold of Wendy's waist with his right one. Then he pulls his hips backward, with his left hand on the cock, pressing the raging boner down and presenting it to Wendy's little vulva. Leaking with precum, tip kisses her opening and presses down on it. She has pleaded "No", but now she screams it. With both of her rapist's hands now resting on her waist, he leans forward and pushes into her slowly, pulling her waist against the cock with force at the same time. She isn't even wet, yet it presses into her. Until the very end, she uses her little fists to punch down on goblins fingers to zero effect. Yet, in the end, all her resistance just makes the goblin more eager.

The first thrust is very slow and hard indeed, but as soon as her hymen gives out with a snap, there's no keeping the shaft out. A quick and powerful thrust into the hole deflowers her, stopping her protests, causing her to let out an agonizing scream caused by the dry insertion. Her hole painfully stretches to the shape of her first cock, which now sits still inside her, pushing against her deepest reaches. Her pussy is trying to contract and tighten back to its natural shape, but the foreign object won't let it.

Grinding out and grinding back in, skin massages her insides, sending shockwaves up her spine through the nerves inside her and around her opening. Rock hard cock feels feverishly warm inside her crushing grip, and it's slowly gaining speed. It's moving about as fast as the goblin can move in her tight hole, and the moisture is seeping in. With every hit against her cervix, she tightens up a little bit and feels a wave of unwanted pleasure sent through her lower body. It is causing her to get wet as a response, much to her dismay. She can't believe she could be getting wet from a rape. It's probably better than not getting wet at all, as it will relieve her pain, but it makes no sense to her. How terrible is it that she can feel extreme physical pleasure from something she doesn't even want to participate in?

It's not fair, she tells herself. Her weakness and her involuntary physical responses, none of it is fair. But how unfair is it really? She's about to learn very soon how unforgiving Nymph's body truly is to the mind trapped inside.

The goblin really starts to pick up pace as it becomes increasingly easy for him to do so. Squishy claps and slaps fill the room alongside the Nymph's cries and the heavy berating of her rapist. To her, it almost feels like the cock's reaching even deeper than before. She feels almost as if her internal organs are being flattened by the cock, like meat being tenderized. Every single thrust is brutal like a punch, and with the strong hands holding her in place, the punches are just intensified. Yet, there is no pain. Wendy is learning this first-hand from the hardcore rape. The only physical sensation she is capable of feeling right now is an irresistible pleasure. Everything else is dulled and has faded out. Her sense of pleasure is almost like it's magnified, with every other sense taking a backseat. In reality, her body and her senses work just like they're supposed to, but they all just drown out under the intense ecstasy. That's how Nymph's body is. It's a body tailormade for sex, and it doesn't come through only for the person using the Nymph but also for the Nymph herself. Needless to say, Wendy's mind still is not exactly in line with her physical sensations. In fact, her mental condition just starts to worsen as she becomes even more confused. Excruciating anticipation of what's going to happen next torments her soul. She knows where this is going.

The monster lifts her lower body up from the stone and leans back. His body bends backward, and he pushes his hips forward harder, grunting like a gorilla. It's the piston-like movement of a male about to ejaculate. Wendy knows it, and she's not that far away from her own orgasm either. In fact, it's a surprise she hasn't come yet, given how it feels. Having felt like she should've come multiple times already, her body finally begins to give up completely, as it disconnects itself from her head that she wants none of it. She doesn't want to cum, but the cock is going to make her. She can't beat it, and she can't resist it any longer. Like a bolt of electricity, pleasure penetrates her brains, and her scared screams are completely muffled out by a loud moan of undeniable pleasure. Ecstasy is written all over her teary face that has now turned silly despite her previously terrified expression. Her moaning stops as the cock stops. She's brought back to reality from the pleasure-infused trance. Goblin ejaculates inside her, and she lets out one final scream of terror. She can feel a rock-hard cock throb inside her in a melting heat, and she can feel it fill her up. Drowned somewhere in the sea of pleasure are signs of physical disgust, enough to want to make her puke, but that's what it just is, a desire. It's just that because even her ability to perceive pain and disgust is slowly eroding away as she is dragged deeper into the hole.

Wendy knows that she won't be spared by some miracle's chance. Pink may have avoided pregnancy for unclear reasons, but Wendy knows that goblin semen guarantees a child. She knows it's the whole reason why goblins try to capture as many Nymphs as possible. One reason may be source, but another simpler reason is the need to reproduce. It's just going to be a question of whose child is it.

There are four more erect goblin cocks ready to rape her. The first goblin backs away, leaving her lying down, unable to even sit up, let alone get on her feet. Then again, she's shackled, so what's the point anyway?

The next goblin pushes himself on top of her, physically presenting himself on the stone slab. She can close her legs for a moment, but with all of her strength gone, all it takes is one thrust of his loins to force himself in between her. With the help of one hand, he pushes the tip in place, and with one downward thrust, the goblin cock sinks in quickly, beginning to thrust immediately. What's more, it seems too easy for him in Wendy's eyes. Despite being just as tight as the first time around, her cunny's all slippery with the mix of goblin jizz and her own juice, making movement quick and easy. Pushing himself down on top of her, the creature subdues her hands, pushing them down as well, as he stares at her body. She hasn't even thought about covering her body, but now that she realizes that he is feasting his eyes on her chest, she wants nothing more than to cover herself up.

Another climax overtakes her, this one happening in the middle of rubbing thrusts. Even though it's nowhere near as fast as rough as the last one - at least not yet - the orgasm isn't any less intense. It's still enough to fry her brains and overload her senses as she can't even think straight for the time being. Like before, she gets over it, but it feels so good and makes her heart pound so hard afterward that she wouldn't find it surprising to lose herself to such intense pleasure.

She now begins to realize why some of those voices sounded so willing. It could get much, much worse for her. Should her mind give out, there would be nothing she could do to stop it from happening. The only question is: how weak exactly is her mind? She has never been tested like this, so she can't really tell how fragile she is, but the seeds of insanity to erode her mind away have already been planted.

---

As willing as Wendy's body has become, her mind isn't any more complicit. Her tears have dried up, as even her cries have drowned under the tidal waves of pleasure. Five goblins have ravaged her for over an hour now, taking turns in raping her. The only thing that Wendy can honestly be grateful for at the moment is the fact that they're more than content with using her vagina and have not tried to force cocks into her mouth or her ass.

Commotion fills the room, but not one filled with alarm. Wendy is faced away from the door, fucked from behind on her fours, so she can't see who it is. There's talk, there's laughter, and there are heavy steps. The goblin pulls out mid-fuck from her before he even gets a chance to ejaculate. There is someone new to do her. A sixth goblin, presumably a big deal in the eyes of the other goblins, for they would give up fucking her so quickly.

"Wow, we got a big haul today", goblin's voice says, as he laughs with a deep voice.

Wait, it can speak!? Wendy is caught completely off guard by those words. She only opens her mouth to gasp in surprise, for she's still too scared to speak. Hands larger than the previous ones take hold of her shoulders as they lift her up to sit down. Slowly, Wendy turns around to look at the new goblin's face as he takes a look at her body. Wendy recognizes it as a hobgoblin, standing a lot taller than any of the other goblins in the room.

"You look like a good fuck. You might be my favorite so far from the ones today." His flattering doesn't make her any happier. In fact, they only make her more nervous and scared. Her eyes drop down to this already naked goblin's groins, and she sees his erect dick. Every time she saw one of the dicks of her previous rapists, she instantly looked away, but not this one. Her eyes are locked to the cock that has to be larger than an adult's forearm. It's big, it's thick, and it's downright just mean. It's veiny, and it has a brown hue to its mottled green skin. Honestly, it looks almost like a dildo to her, as she can't believe such a behemoth could be attached to a living being.

Pep returns to her body the instant goblin lifts her up. She flails her tired legs as she feels her back tugged closer towards the hobgoblin. His hands move to her legs, right under her knees, and they grab onto her tightly as they force her legs spread. In an upwards position, kept high in the air like a little toy, Wendy looks down and observes the cock underneath and between her legs. Her body gets raised up and then about to be dropped down on the cock. "No!" she screams, and with her hands free to move, she lowers her hand to block her pussy. "It won't fit! Spare me!"

"Hahaha, and they told me you're not very talkative!" the hobgoblin says, laughing. "So, it is MY cock that finally made you beg for mercy? I'm honored."

"Don't put it in! Please, anything else!" Having his hands focused on the legs, he thinks for a moment about what to do. Well, all he has to do is to move Wendy's body a little bit forward, and suddenly, the glans is kissing her anus. Her eyes open up wide like a couple of clean plates as she screams loud in panic. "I WAS KIDDING! SHOVE IT INTO MY PUSSY, I BEG YOU!"

"Oh, who could resist a plea like that!" Goblin is happy to oblige, as he honestly wants pussy more than ass. Wendy, shaking, can't believe she actually let herself beg like that, and it's just making her cry again. Reduced to such a pitiful state, she feels so weak and pathetic. At least her ass is spared, for now. Things will not get any better, though, as the tip pushes into her.

She tries to move her hips, but the tip is already deep enough in her for her to be unable to shake it off. Goblin's hands begin to loosen, and he lets Wendy's own weight fall on it. Slowly but surely, it slides in, and it tears her open wide. With every inch added to the circumference of her stretched-out vagina, her face turns crazier. Her heart feels like bursting out from her chest, and her hand is still touching her vulva as she helplessly wants to do anything to stop the advance. She expects pain, but there is none of that. This is more of that extreme pleasure that has overshadowed every other sensation.

Finally, speed picks up, and she completely drops down the rod. In that instantaneous moment, she experiences a squirting orgasm and lets out a wild scream. Only about halfway inside her, it pushes against her organs so strongly she feels like it could pierce right through her cervix and straight into her womb. For that to happen, though, there has to be more than just her own body weight. Besides, she doesn't even know if that's possible! Surely it isn't? Surely not with how internal female reproductive organs are shaped? Wouldn't it hurt a lot? Would it not be painful? There's no way that the goblin would do that kind of damage to her, right?

Wishful thinking on her part, as she's not quite a human. Nymph's bodies are much more accommodating, and knowing this, the hobgoblin wants to stick it very deep. Hands grip tightly into her legs, and it starts pushing her down on the cock. The advance is even harder than going through her hymen, but it is not, surprisingly enough, impossible or even painful for that matter. It isn't even damaging to her organs. Even the things that should in a sane world feel extremely painful just bring more pleasure to her. It pierces through further into her body, and she can feel her stomach bulge slightly. Yet another orgasm occurs, continuing from the last one, driving her crazy, causing her to tighten up even more. Goblin starts to move, thrusting deep. No, he doesn't actually thrust so much itself, as he is moving Wendy's body in rhythm up and down way more, using her like an oversized fleshlight. Reaching deeper than she even thought would be possible, she's in shock. As if it couldn't have become worse, and she hasn't even been anally raped yet. She knows it still might get worse, as the last thing she wants is something in her ass. Then again, considering that she can't do anything to stop it from happening, what's the point in struggling and getting outraged anyway? Thinking about it in that way just makes her want to cry even more.

The hobgoblin finally adds his own, stronger hip thrusts into the mix, sliding the cock in and out in long strokes, slapping it deep against the softened-up insides of Nymph. She can feel the balls slap against her softly with every single thrust, a thought that makes her terrified just thinking about exactly how something that large could ever fully fit inside. It seemed to her big like an arm, and now it pistons her with such ease? And judging by the speed, it's about to release straight into her womb. She has got to a point where even male ejaculation feels orgasmic to her, an idea foreign to her given that it's probably something that shouldn't happen in real life. A part of her that has wholly given up to the pleasure wonders what a cumshot from such a giant cock would even feel like. She doesn't have to wonder for long, as it cums straight into her, accompanied by yet another squirting orgasm of her own. Her mind is blanking and starting to cave in to pleasure. She can't take it anymore. Not even her heart can deny the pleasure, even though it should.

It doesn't stop either. A cock covered in cum, after sliding slightly out from her, just kicks right back in. This goblin is not content with just one orgasm, as it wants to do it over and over again in a long and brutal rape. Having not even recovered from her own orgasm, goblin begins from where it left off. Same speed, same depth, just a little messier and even nastier.

In her heart, she finally accepts that there is no point in struggling and crying. Things really are going to continue to get much worse for her.

Fort Hammercliff, Part Two

Excerpt from the Gamer's Logbook; "Exploring the Mechanics of Nymphsaga", entry number ???, "Nymphs and Mortality, Part Two: Mental Breakdown and the Spiritual Death of Nymph."

Phantasm is a cruel world for a Nymph, and it will torment anyone unfortunate enough to lose herself to the wilderness. As it was established in the previous entry, Nymphs will not die easily. That's why a protective mechanic in the game will allow players to perish into their "deaths", if you can even call it that. It is the spiritual death caused by the mental breakdown of the Nymph under extreme pressure.

Everything that counts as stamina degeneration counts towards mental breakdown, but during rape, the speed of degeneration increases. It is not a countdown that players can keep track of, and it will always come as a total surprise to them. Nymphs will not see it coming. Sometimes the breakdown occurs fast in just a few days, and sometimes it takes time, but Nymph's mind cannot last more than three weeks of non-stop rape. The speed at which this happens depends mostly on how rough the Nymph's assaulter is. There are also situations where the Nymphs cannot be saved, and breakdown always occurs quicker in these situations.

Countdown towards the breakdown will reset every time the Nymph recovers from her torment. Of course, programmed enemies are not intelligent enough to abuse this mechanic, as it would be just plain unfair, but the fact that even an hour's worth of safe rest may reset the countdown is something that every player must keep in her mind.

After the mental breakdown occurs, the player's spirit will leave Nymph's body, which will stay alive for its captors to abuse. Without a spirit, the body will disappear and despawn eventually. Still, sometimes they can feel their torment continue even after the breakdown has occurred and suffer deep into it for added intensity. The question of what happens to Nymph's spirit after death is a chapter left for the next part of this entry, but let's just say as a minor spoiler - if you can even call it a spoiler - that players will not get out of the Nymphsaga when they die. Something else will happen.

---

There is no reason for anyone in Grove to doubt the honesty of Nymphs who claimed to have discovered Fort Hammercliff. They're a collection of eight Nymphs made out of three different groups, all of who had their first groups ripped apart by goblins and thus have no reasons to lie. After the council discussion had taken place, in a matter of just sixty more minutes, a large group of Nymphs leaves Grove in many hundreds as they march into war. There is a long, long night ahead of them.

Unsurprisingly, nothing can stop these Nymphs. Sure, they face enemies, but as weak as Nymphs are alone or in small groups, can anything stop half a thousand of them? The answer is probably no. Such a thing does not at the very least exist near Grove, at least not as far as they know of.

In two to three hours, they arrive in a valley covered in greenery, bathing in a red evening glow. Their destination lies in the middle of it, standing on top of a lone mountain. As they advance, they realize that there are no goblins to be seen patrolling anywhere in the valley, which comes as a surprise and a blessing for them. It gives them plenty of time to plan their next move before rushing the enemy gates.

The only way to enter the castle is through the great hall, remains of a once-great temple. Out from there, paths lead to the many caves below, inside the mountain, and the main keep. While Wendy is in the caves with most of the slaves, some are up in the castle as well. After disposing of the goblins keeping guard at the great hall, the raid separates into four groups of different sizes. From largest to smallest, the first one will go around the mountain, the second one will go up the mountain to the main building, and the third group will search the caves below. Fourth and the smallest group will stay put at the entrance to keep guard, take care of the injured, and perhaps send backup, should any larger group request it.

Unaware that their home is being invaded, most Hammercliff goblins either sleep or enjoy the fruits of their labor. They might be nocturnal creatures that aren't typically active during morning hours or midday, but they have to hunt during daylight hours due to Nymphs not being active during nights. Caretakers who work underground during daylight hours sleep while the warriors rape their slaves deep into the small morning hours. This, while bad for anyone unfortunate to be captive in the castle, is very fortunate for the rescue party, as the invading Nymphs find the strongest goblin warriors unarmed.

One by one, the raid assigned to underground facilities finds captive Nymphs, feeling horrified seeing the states to which they have been reduced. Even the best-conditioned of them are pitiful sights to see, which makes the Nymphs just angrier. Very few goblins can defend themselves unarmed, but some armed elite shamans and hobgoblins are present to challenge the invading Nymphs. Still, the rescue mission goes off without a hitch.

Freed from their torment, some pass out immediately after being saved, while others simply cry and mourn their fates, some mourning their bloated bellies carrying goblin's offspring. Many are immediately reunited with their friends, and most just want to get home as soon as possible. Very few are willing to discuss what has happened in detail, but they all are grateful for being rescued.

Initially, they're not sure how to get Nymphs out of their shackles, but when they realize that goblins actually drop keys, all of which can be used for all the shackles and will not even be consumed on use, they have an easy time releasing every single Nymph.

Released Nymphs are left for the smallest group to guard and take care of, while the group assigned to the caves starts circling the mountain in another direction from the previous one. At the same time, upstairs, a more difficult fight takes place … or would take if there weren't like a hundred Nymphs up there. Usually, there are limits to how many players can enter an instanced raid zone in your typical MMO's, but no such limits exist in Phantasm. The entire planet is a sandbox - including every cave and every building - and every place is reachable without restrictions. Nymphs can just outnumber any raid they want to, provided they have the numbers. Thus, a double X ranked boss of the Hammercliff tribe is turned from a horrifyingly strong foe to a run over.

With their leader down, goblins can't operate anymore. Like a pack of wolves, they need an alpha male. They require hierarchy and leadership to sustain themselves properly. It's in their nature. They begin to scatter as Nymphs capture Fort Hammercliff for themselves. Of course, this was not a mission of conquest, as they are planning on leaving it and left in ruins, but the idea of conquering an entire tribe of goblins makes them all feel really, really satisfied in themselves. As night falls, their mission concludes. Having kicked the goblins out of their own home, they begin searching every nook and cranny of these ruins in hopes of finding more captive Nymphs, as well as looting treasure. Looting is free for all, but most Nymphs agree that they should only take loot from the enemies they themselves have killed or participated in killing. Everyone respects this unspoken rule. Things are a little bit different for the loot from the boss, which is without the doubt the best loot in all of Fort Hammercliff. To distribute these treasures fairly is the raid leader and one of the organizers behind the attack to the fortress, Katja, a fearless tank and a warlord in the truest sense of the word. They do it by fair a roll where everyone gets a chance, but nobody can roll for more than two items.

Now, all they have to do is return home. Lucky for them, this night is shaping up to be an exceptionally bright one, with the giant planet dominating the skyline reflecting light from its parent star to illuminate the magical forest. Gazing her eyes to the awe-inspiring sight that is a planet of gas hovering above the sky is Dana. She wonders if it is wise to try and return at night. Would setting up a temporary camp and spending a night in the forest be safer? It's not something that only she is thinking about, and luckily, it's not a decision that she has to make alone.

Dana's thoughts, however, are interrupted by one very cheerful girl. She is not an important character in the story and will not appear ever again in the future, but for the sake of clarity, let's call her Jane.

"Hey! Are you some kind of leader?"

"I believe an organizer would fit me better", Dana says, arms crossed, eyeing down Jane, who is now panting heavily after dashing. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Flailing her arms, Jane responds with a loud voice. "There's this Nymph who is super weird! She doesn't even know about Grove!"

Dana raises her other eyebrow and immediately takes few steps forward towards Jane. "Take me to her!" she answers, grabbing her arm. As Jane starts to run, Dana instantly slows her down. "Calm, calm… We don't have to run…"

"Oh, hahaha!" Jane finds herself laughing, blushing a little. "Yeah, we don't have to run…"

"It's good to be full of energy", Dana says, nodding to herself. She soon finds herself in front of this "weird" girl, who sits down naked. She immediately doesn't realize anything out of the ordinary, as this Nymph looks like a normal girl. In fact, she looks very normal indeed, half Asian half African girl with long, dark brown hair. "Oh, you seem surprisingly well…"

"Yeah… I've only been here for few hours…" this Nymph says nervously. "I'm eternally grateful for you all… I thought this was it for me…"

"I'm Dana. What's your name?"

"Olivia."

Dana immediately remembers what the cheerful Nymph told her. If what she told her is correct, then this Nymph is not from Grove. "So, where are you from?"

"From Paradise."

"Where is that?" Dana asks. "What kind of place is it?"

"It's in a little hidden valley to the north from here", Olivia explains. "It's not even that far away."

Dana raises her arm to her jawline. "There shouldn't be any other starting zones for Nymphs other than Grove…"

"I have never heard of no Grove…"

Dana crosses her arms again. "Are you a player then? And not an NPC?"

"I'm definitely a real person…" Olivia says, looking even a little offended. "I'm from Melbourne, an 18 years old college student."

"Well, what the hell…" Dana finds herself scratching her head. "I am one hundred percent certain that Grove is the ONLY place where Nymphs can start the game."

Olivia looks a little perplexed and tilts her head. "Everyone in Paradise disagrees. In fact, we thought it's the only place where the game can begin."

"There is something weird going on…" Dana thinks out loud. She can't help but feel that she, and every other Nymph, have had their memories tampered with if that is even possible. She clearly remembers seeing many pictures from the game in the real world, and they all depicted Grove, every single one of them. "Do you remember this… Paradise from the real world as well?"

"Yes", Olivia says and nods. "There is no mistake about it."

"Okay. If that's true, there really must be something weird going on…" Dana says slowly and silently.

"Yeah, I agree…" Olivia says. "Everyone of you is from this… Grove… I'm just as confused as you guys are…"

"There might even be more villages like this!" Jane suddenly realizes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought as well", Dana says, nodding. "In fact, there could be tens of them. This place is freaking huge, after all."

"Well, does that really make sense then?" Olivia asks. "I mean, were there really that many players to begin with? There's, like, three thousand of us in Paradise."

"Grove is pretty large as well", Dana says, still thinking deeply. "Yeah, there is definitely much more to this world than meets the eye, especially if they have tampered with our memories as well." There is no way for her to know which one has had their memories tampered with, her or Olivia. Maybe both of them have? It's impossible to tell with the information they have. "In any case, I think we have to ask everyone where they are from. Who knows, we may learn even more." She turns towards Jane. "Hey, you."

"Yes!"

"Help me out a little. Explain the situation to anyone who seems idle and ask them to help."

"Yes, madam!" With that said, Jane runs away.

"Now…" Arms crossed, Dana takes one hard look at Olivia. "I don't think we have any other choice than to take you to Grove."

"Yeah… It's a hard pill to swallow because my real-life friends are in Paradise, but I understand that it is the only thing you can do."

"Exactly", Dana says, nodding. "We can establish a connection to Paradise at a later date and find a safe route there. I'm sure that a relationship between two different communities will benefit all of us."

"Yeah, we all want the same thing…" Olivia says, nodding herself as well. "Freedom from this world."

---

Meanwhile, upstairs, one unlucky Angel is left without any loot despite participating in killing the boss and its guards. She takes a break, having drained herself dry taking care of attackers who got hurt in fights. In raids she has been a part of in Mormia, the role of the healers is typically only to heal those who are seriously injured and have taken heavy hits, as tanks and damage dealers take turns and attack in waves. While things are not perfectly comparable to that in Nymphsaga, they operate by the exact same strategy. This is done so the heals wouldn't miss their targets or hit the wrong target in a frantic melee. Tired Nymphs come to healers to be healed and then wait for their next cue if they can fight. Of course, there are some "spot healers" to take care of fighters on active duty as well, but Angel was not one of them. Few fighters end up having their bar degenerate during the fight, which forces them out of commission - a problem not typical in more unrealistic RPGs - but luckily, there are a lot of replacements.

Then, one very lucky Pink comes to her, pouting despite getting a piece of precious bracelets. "Looks like our friends not up here."

Angel nods and sighs. "Well, it's only one place, and there weren't too many prisoners up here anyway."

"There's nothing left to do here", Pink says and offers her hand to Angel. "Let's get downstairs."

With the help of her friend, Angel is pulled to her feet, and they head back to the great temple. Stairs are long and steep but nowhere as tiring to go down as they are to go up. Walking around together, they search for their friends desperately from the Nymphs who have been saved, wondering where they could be. After about a minute's walk, they finally find Wendy, who has rolled herself into a blanket, and with soulless eyes, she stares at the roof, unmoving, almost lifeless. She doesn't even realize she is approached by her friends, at least not until they're right in front of her. The instant she sees two of her friends standing in front of her in good spirits, she looks like bursting into tears. Angel drops to her knees, offering Wendy a warm and loving hug. Wendy is happy to take it, and she lets her tears flow. Quietly weeping, she hugs Angel tight.

"I'm so sorry…" Angel says. "We left you to be captured…"

"No… Don't blame yourself…" Wendy says. "It wasn't your fault…"

"I'm so happy to see you again so soon…"

"Me too…! I'm so happy to be free…!" Wendy doesn't want to go into detail, but she was actually released before it looked like goblins would start to push themselves down on her two or even three at once. In the end, she didn't taste a dick, and they didn't penetrate her ass either. It is a small consolation for her, as she honestly thinks that being pregnant and forced to deliver is worse than both of those things. Besides, she's not confident she's going to be so lucky in the future anymore. If one mistake or one streak of bad luck is all it takes for her to lose her freedom as a Nymph, then she might as well give up right away, or so she feels at the moment.

Another Nymph is coming for Wendy as well, and it is Melody. "Oh, I finally found you!" she says, sounding happy. "I'm so glad you're safe now."

Wendy looks at Melody. She realizes that everyone really came. It's a large group that came to save her and the other captives. "I'm so grateful for all the Nymphs in Grove… To think that they would risk their lives in hundreds to save just a handful of captives."

"Well, I think there was a little over hundred captives in total, so it's a huge victory for us", Laura says, who is with Melody. "It's even more Nymphs that have gone missing."

"Yeah, I heard there are some from another neighboring village here as well", Melody says.

"Really?" Laura says, surprised.

"Speaking of captives", Pink says, "Have you seen Rain or Lemon yet?"

"No, not yet", Melody says. "Hope is not lost yet, but almost everyone is already here."

"Go look for them, Pink", Angel says. "I'll stay with Wendy."

"Y-yes", Pink says. "I'll hope to be back soon with good news."

"Can you walk, Wendy?" Melody asks, as she also gets close to her friend.

"No… I can't… Not yet…"

Melody opens up her user interface and touches Wendy's shoulder. She shows her the inventory and a special potion blend that she has there. "Look at this. It's a potion to relieve heat and temporarily restore part of your stamina bar. It should be good for three hours, just enough for you to get home escape."

Wendy or none of her close allies knew of such potion. Melody, just like Lemon, is an alchemist, and their recipe books are somewhat different from each other. "Shouldn't we save them for those worse off…?" Wendy asks, reluctant to accept the potion.

"It's fine. We prepared two hundred of them." Melody materializes the potion and offers it to Wendy, who takes upon the offer. Now, she waits until she can actually drink it.

"How about a potion to get rid of my baby…?" Wendy asks, almost whispering. Melody doesn't say anything, as she is afraid of giving Wendy a negative answer. "Well, of course, such a thing doesn't exist…"

"I'm sorry… It hasn't been discovered yet…"

"I'll be by your side, Wendy", Angel says, still hugging her friend. "I'll help you get over it, I promise. Please, stay strong."

As hard as it is for Wendy to stay strong, she agrees with Angel. She must get over it. Nodding, she thanks her friend. Left alone with Angel, Melody and Laura leave to help out other Nymphs and hand out potions to others.

---

In thirty minutes, Nymphs are sure that every place has been turned upside down. They have even shouted and yelled in hopes of hearing responses but have heard none. They have double-checked and triple-checked some areas and become sure that they're ready to leave. A long walk home begins, and no one will be left behind.

Even though the journey is made in the dark of the night, they do not face trouble. Turns out that the forest isn't that much more dangerous during nights after all, at least not in these parts of Phantasm, or at least not on this particular night. It is way past bedtime for most Nymphs when they finally return, and every one of them heads straight into their homes. Most of them collapse instantly into their beds, not needing a minute to fall asleep. Showers and baths are mostly left for the morning.

Now, what about the Nymphs who were not from Grove? About forty Nymphs claim to be from Paradise, and each of them gets offered a roof to sleep under, as their saviors give them refuge at their own homes. There is a very interesting and long day ahead of Nymphs, as they will discuss what to do moving forward regarding the revelation of there being another community of Nymphs to the north of Fort Hammercliff.

---

Wendy wakes up in her own bed, drenched in sweat in the early hours of the morning when the sun is just starting to rise. She's glad that she is safe, but she still feels like crying, mostly because of the horror she faced. However, there is also a feeling of immense relief. It's over now; her journey continues.

She can't get back to sleep anymore. She's wide awake, and so, she doesn't even bother trying. With pretty much everyone who took part in the rescue operations still asleep - presumably - she has a lot of time in her hands. She wants to start her day by getting rid of her uncomfortable sweat, and she knows the perfect way to do that, which also will help her spend time. As a new addition to her apartment is a bathtub large enough for an adult to fit in. Of course, Grove is a village with nothing but prepubescent children in there, but then again, two - or even three - little girls can easily fit into the tub, and isn't that just wonderful? It only cost her twenty gold coins, which is a superb price for such a luxury. Included with the price was also a lifetime supply of herbal soaps and fragrances. She especially loves the one that smells of yuzu. It gives out a lovely fresh and citrusy smell she loves, a smell which reminds her of home.

Eyes closed and naked, she's in heaven. Her bathroom is a place of silence and tranquility, a perfect place for anyone to gather their thoughts and just lay down to think. What keeps her thoughts in one place is her physical condition, one that she hasn't gotten over even though her stamina has returned to normal. She knows exactly why this is. It's the baby she's carrying in her womb, a child of a goblin. Words from one of the excerpts from the Bioengineer's logbook echo in her mind. One quote, in particular, is in her mind: "…Nymphs will go to extreme heat and forcefully generate source at an increased rate to speed up the pregnancy and feed the baby growing inside them."

This is what she is going through right now. Even after being released, she's still horny, and there's little to nothing she can do to help it. Moreover, it's not just that she's horny, as she feels more than a little itch to masturbate. No, it's more than that. The throbbing she feels between her legs and deep inside her body is a constant longing for release. Just thinking about it brings her memories from the last night to her mind. All those goblins, and their giant cocks, and the way they raped her one after another. As painful as those memories are to her, her body, the weak body of a Nymph, demands rough sex. Once having tasted it, she can never go back to being innocent and ignorant about what sex through the eyes of a Nymph feels like. Her body will remember it forever and continue to desire it even if she doesn't want it to happen herself. She's an artificial creature created for the sole purpose of sex and pleasure, and her soul cannot escape that prison.

A soft moan escapes her lips. Having breathed heavily for a while, she snaps out of her thoughts to find her hand unconsciously rubbing her pussy. Without even thinking about it, she was doing it subconsciously to relieve herself of her lust. In the end, she feels like she did just more damage and ended up feeling even hornier.

I'm pathetic, she tells herself. The world and the body are changing her. They're causing her to become someone else, and it feels so foreign to her. It's affecting her mind and her brains in a way that she's partially indistinguishable from who she used to be. Not only is she becoming like a girl, but she's also becoming one that finds pleasure in being fucked roughly. To think that this world would affect me like this… I really am pathetic…

Pathetic or not, she can't help herself or her bodily state. Something has to be done about it. She wants to make herself feel at least a little better, even if it would just come back to bite her in the rear later. Even if it was just one single hour of relief from her physical condition, she's going to do it. She surrenders to her bodily lust and goes all the way, fingers twirling inside her pussy and rubbing around her clitoris until she cums in a matter of just a few minutes. She comes to instantly regret it. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to masturbate in a hot bath. Dizzy, she gets out and heads out to cool down. If there's a silver lining to getting dizzy in a bath, it's the fact that it will be easier to get back to sleep.

After drinking three small cups of water and putting on some light clothes, which are nothing but childish panties and a sleeveless undershirt for kids, both of which are pretty pale pink in color, she lays down to rest. She doesn't even bother to tie up her hair and instead lets them hang open.

'What now? What do I do now that I'm free? Can I ever return to being the same adventurer I was until yesterday? Can I still be the leader that my friends expect me to be? Those are all questions she thinks about, questions that she can't find an answer to. The hardest one of them all is the question of, What about the next time this happens to me?

That's the question she keeps coming back to. She doesn't think about it just because she's worried it could happen to her, but also because it could happen to her friends, the Nymphs around her that she cares deeply about. It has already happened to Angel and Pink, both of who got off relatively easy. What if they don't get off easy next time? What if SHE doesn't get off that easy? What if she won't be rescued? What then? She knows now about the mental breakdown, having learned about it during her return to Grove. The unknown that lies beyond the breakdown scares her. Whenever she or her friends are in that situation, she doesn't even want to ask herself what that would mean.

Then it hits her. Rain and Lemon. Her eyes widen as she realizes, It could be happening to them right now.

How could she forget about them? She has been thinking about just herself and her own condition, even though they could be in much bigger trouble right now. As far as she knows, they're still out there somewhere. Or are they? Have they returned? She clearly remembers from before she headed home that Angel banged on Rain's door, hoping she would be home, but there was no answer. So, she's at very least not there, unless she returned during the night, of course. The only thing that she and her friends are sure of is that they weren't captured by the goblins, which could mean that they somehow managed to defeat the elite hobgoblin.

Well, of course they would defeat it, Wendy thinks to herself with a smirk on her face. She knows just how talented Rain is, and based on what she has seen, Lemon is just as talented in her own unique role. Lemon never misses with her carefully planned out one-shot-kill attacks. If there's a couple that she would bet her money on to survive anything that Phantasm has to offer, it's those two. Yet, that doesn't guarantee their safety. After all, Phantasm is a dangerous place, and she knows it. Even with goblins gone and defeated, there still are horrifyingly strong enemies lurking around, as proven by the giant spider in the cave, as well as the tentacle monster hiding in an underwater lake. "God damn it…" Wendy swears out loud. Where are they? I want to help them, but I'm not in the right condition to do so. I just want to get better soon. This is so frustrating.

A soft knock surprises her. Someone's at the door. Exhausted, she gets up to meet her guest, Angel.

"Oh, I suspected you might be up…" Angel says, trying to smile.

"Well, I did get some sleep…" Wendy says.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm so worried about those two. And I was also worried for you."

Wendy scratches her cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. "Thank you for thinking about me…"

Angel finds herself blushing by Wendy's words, and finally, a genuine smile can be seen on her face.

"Get in", Wendy says and opens the door wide. "Let's have a little chat." As Angel walks in, the door closes. They stand next to each other, eyes locked on each other. Angel waits, as Wendy looks like there's something she would really like to say. "I have something selfish to ask of you…"

"Ask away. I will do anything."

Wendy spreads her arms wide. "Hug me."

Angel, caught by surprise, for a moment hesitates to fulfill Wendy's request, but her face says that she wasn't kidding. With her teary eyes and her adorable blush, it's probably the cutest Wendy has ever looked in Angel's eyes, as weird as it feels to her. Angel can't resist those eyes, and she can't resist her wish either. So, she hugs her. Lovingly, yet not in a lustful or sexual way. It's a hug a child would expect from a mother, a warm and soft embrace.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome… Everyone needs a hug sometimes…"

"Yeah, I definitely needed a hug from a friend…"

"I'll hug you anytime you need one."

With that, the long hug comes to a close, and they're both left smiling and blushing, with Wendy realizing she started crying again. She dries up her eyes, and through it all, she doesn't stop smiling for one second. "We've always been good friends, but ever since coming here, I feel like we've bonded even more."

Angel nods deep. "I guess that's what this world does to us. It brings friends even closer."

"Speaking of friends…"

Angel immediately realizes what Wendy means, and her happy smile turns to an expression of extreme worry. "Pink and I are going to go look for them together with Melody and her friends. Now that the valley is rid of most goblins, it should be easier to travel there."

"I want to come too…"

Angel lays her hands on Wendy's shoulders. "No, you stay here. There's no way in hell you're in any kind of condition to leave."

"It just hurts to not be able to help…"

"I suppose it's a somewhat good sign", Angel says, with a reassuring tone. "I was afraid you would be ready to throw in the towel."

"I sort of feel like it, but helping my friends is more important… They could be suffering right now, and I would hate that…"

"Yeah, that's what I'm worried about as well. Speaking of which, how is your condition?"

Wendy doesn't want to just outright say what being pregnant has done to her, at least initially. She looks at her own belly, which at the very least still looks flat, and she touches it with both her hands. It's almost as if there's absolutely nothing there. The more she thinks about it, the more she wants to be just open and honest. She knows that Angel will understand and not call her weird or anything because she knows, that Angel knows, that the same thing can happen to anyone. "Yeah, it has weakened me a lot…"

"O-oh… How do you manage…?"

"Well… Relieving myself of extra tension worked wonders…" Wendy says quietly, almost whispering. "I'm still feeling it, though… The feeling just won't go away…"

Angel blushes, as she knows exactly what Wendy means. She just nods slowly and says: "I see…"

"Yeah, it is frustrating… Especially after the hell they put me through…" Wendy says and sighs. "They left me pregnant, and the child is making me feel like shit…"

"I wish there was something we could do to help you…"

"Well…" Wendy begins, blushing heavily. "Since the baby feeds on source to grow up faster, and source generation is directly linked to sexual tension and excitement, it probably is possible to hasten up pregnancies by simply engaging in sexual acts… As crazy as it sounds…"

"Well, there was the potion that Melody gave you", Angel remembers. "The one that relieves it a little."

"I think that it just made things worse after the effect wore off, to be honest…"

"O-oh, well … that's a problem…"

"Maybe there still is a potion that can help me", Wendy says and tries to smile.

"Want me to go check stores?" Angel suggests. "Maybe there is an alchemist that has made a potion that helps specifically against heat."

"I would appreciate it", Wendy says and nods. "Thank you so much for all you have done for me."

"You're welcome", Angel says and looks like she's about to leave. "I'll leave now since we have to go looking for those two as well. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"One more thing before you go…"

"Oh?"

"Hug me again."

"A-again?"

Wendy doesn't want to wait for Angel to do it, and instead, she's the one that goes for a hug, grabbing Angel's body tight. "You told me that you'll hug me anytime…"

"O-oh, I think I really did…" Angel says and laughs. "Alright then… I'll hug you once more before I leave…"

---

Immediately after leaving, Angel heads to the city center to do some business. There aren't many shops, as keeping up one takes a lot of time and effort, but she knows of at least three different alchemist's shops, not counting the one that belongs to Lemon. Only one of the shops happens to be open, and as she asks the owner of this specific boutique about a potion that would be designed for relieving heat. Well, there is one, but she doesn't have any in stock, as they're in very high demand. Angel doesn't have any materials at hand for making one either. Besides, the owner says that the potion has a nasty side effect, as it temporarily relieves heat. When the effect runs out, the heat will return even worse than before, which means it's basically almost the same as the one that Melody gave Wendy. "They're only suitable for adventures as a relief against sudden aphrodisiac effects and terrible for treatment", the alchemist explains, leaving Angel without anything to help Wendy with.

Angel then asks, "Could it actually have a positive effects against pregnancy, as the source generation will be increased when the effect runs out?"

The alchemist explains that in theory, it could, but not in practice, as the source generation will decrease during the potion's effect. "I think the gains are canceled out by the losses, bringing the sum to zero", she explains to Angel's disappointment. Just as Angel is about to leave, the alchemist tells about the possibility of other professions being helpful. She cites tealeaves that grow in the outskirts of Grove and says that maybe they could be used to make a herbal drink. "Maybe you can find a Chef to help you", the alchemist says, smiling gleefully.

This causes Angel to bash herself for ten straight minutes for being too dumb to realize that she could have the remedy at her own fingertips. She then heads towards the library to learn about different herbs growing in Grove to discover a helpful recipe. There, she finds a possible remedy.

Having learned the recipe that will achieve the result she's hoping for, she goes to gather the leaves she's looking for. The plant in question is Aphrodite's Nettle, an incredibly fragrant, completely green herb that blends well into its surroundings. She learns that the plant can be used for both alchemy and cooking, which explains why the Nymph in the alchemy shop knew about it. When crushed with a pestle and mortar into a paste, you can extract the poison and capture its effects, and when dried, its leaves can be used as a spice. Speaking of poison, a word of warning from the Florist's logbook reads as follows: "Be careful not to touch its leaves, as you risk getting poisoned by its touch. Its poison is laced with a powerful aphrodisiac that will drive its victims crazy in heat. After ten minutes has passed from the moment you pick it up, it will be safe to touch and extract the leaves." Needless to say, Angel does not want to get herself poisoned. She has an expedition to attend, a rescue mission nonetheless. Getting horny now is something she doesn't want.

Angel finds herself walking through a familiar neighborhood, and she stops to look at a familiar store owned by Lemon. It's the one place she hasn't checked. Could her friends have returned? After all this worrying, could they actually be there? Anxiously, she looks at the treehouse next to the store, the place where Lemon lives. She decides to fly there, using her pearl white wings engulfed in a sparkling silvery mist. She knocks on the door and then, she waits, hoping and praying for someone to open up.

Hammercliff Valley

Why not do things a little bit different this time around? Let's talk about discoveries made by Nymphs of Grove that cannot be found from logbooks, as this information is based on their own independent research. Let's talk about Grove and its immediate surroundings and give these places some names.

Grove is part of a large forest that Nymphs call "Misty Forest" for the simple fact that the forest is completely engulfed in a thick, perpetual mist. As far as its characteristics go, it's pretty much the same as Grove in terms of vegetation. Some unique flowers and herbs here outside the barrier can't bloom in Grove, but they can be counted with just one hand. Enemies are stronger, of course, but with the goblins gone, the worst this forest has to offer are the horned demons. It's a very safe place to explore with ease, especially for those who have not reached the (supposedly) maximum level of four yet. It's also a very easy place to navigate, given that it's situated on an even plain. It's an excellent place for a newbie to train in, but at the same time, there is no good loot to be found either.

To get better loot and find more revealing lore, Nymphs must go to the surrounding regions, which are prohibited from entry for anyone who isn't level four yet per a guideline set by the council of Grove. There are a total of four zones surrounding the Misty Forest for Nymphs to choose from.

The "Hammercliff Valley" is the zone in the north, which loans its name from the now deserted fortress sitting at its heart. Even without the goblins, it's a moderately dangerous place to venture to with its mountainous landscapes and its hard-to-navigate thick forests. Near Fort Hammercliff, there are even more ruins, which belong to a once-great city. Ruins of this civilization are scattered all across the valley, hiding heaps of treasure left to be discovered, along with some very challenging elite and raid encounters for the bravest adventurers.

To the east is "Dark Forest", which really is just a continuation of Misty Forest, as it looks pretty much the same if you ignore the fact that everything is darker. Yes, Nymphs of Grove really are THAT simpleminded when it comes to naming things. This is the place that Rain, Wendy, and Angel once got lost in. It's a place where maps and compasses stop working completely on entry for those not well-trained in Scouting. Even though it's technically part of the same exact forest, it offers much more challenging foes than Misty Forest. Insects and slimes are plentiful in the area. Really, it's a diverse ecosystem. Most Nymphs consider this place to be off-limits simply because it's so easy to get lost in there, and it's highly ill-advised to venture deep into this part of the forest without the help of a high-level Scout.

To the south is the "Misty Swamp", engulfed by the same mist found all over Misty Forest. As the name suggests, these are swamplands, and per stories told by the Nymphs that have gone there, it's an area supposedly swarming with tentacles and slimes. They're literally everywhere. It's not a place that Nymphs will be able to leave with their clothes on. Like the previous two zones, it's hard to navigate, but for very different reasons. It's an even landscape, and the map works, but it's not very easy to pass through wetlands, especially with rapey tentacles hiding in the waters. It's widely considered the most dangerous zone close to Grove, and pretty much everyone agrees the area is off-limits for exploration. For one reason or another, Nymphs that venture far into the swamps don't tend to return or be heard of again.

And last, to the west, is the "Purple Forest", because, well, it's full of trees with purple leaves. Some also call it the "Magical Forest", but those Nymphs completely ignore the fact that the entire planet is magical, making the name obsolete. Before the decision to invade Fort Hammercliff, this place was actually the choice for most Nymphs to venture to, as it's geographically straightforward to navigate, and the maps work too. While indeed a dangerous place, it's at very least manageable, as monsters are similar to the ones in the Misty Forest. It's basically just a slightly more punishing version of that zone. Tactics against the enemies are mostly the same, and so are their attack patterns. While there is no perpetual mist covering this forest, there are some pockets of magical, mysterious dust sparkling in all the colors of the rainbow, which is a breathtaking sight to behold.

As far as Nymphs from Grove are considered, these five zones are the entire world to them. No Nymph has claimed to go farther than the four zones that surround Misty Forest, and nobody knows for sure what lies ahead of them. If they believe the Nymphs who are not from Grove, somewhere beyond Hammercliff Valley lies Paradise, another town populated by Nymphs. They also talk about zones that border their home, but that's a story for another time.

---

Now, it's about time I tell you what happened to Rain and Lemon, how their fight with the elite goblin concluded, and what happened next. It's going to be a long story. It comes at the cost of me telling you if the door will be answered for Angel, but that's only fair. After all, you will now find the answer to that question. Let's roll back to the moment when the elite goblin rushes towards Lemon, and Rain chases after it.

At that very moment, Rain finds herself asking two questions: One, How much damage did Lemon's arrow really do?, and two, Exactly how fucking fast is this fat bastard!?. When the goblin ran through her, he dealt some damage to her, and she didn't get time to recover properly. She has to down one stamina potion because she knows that if she attacks after catching her enemy, the attack will drain her dry, and she cannot defend herself properly. She can't let that happen because she knows that Lemon can't defend herself for long. She has to get the enemy's attention somehow to help Lemon deal another great blow to it.

There lies her third question: How do I communicate this plan to Lemon?. The hobgoblin understands their language, so it is not out of the question to assume it would adjust its tactics accordingly if he heard Rain announce it aloud. It would be crazy to think that a programmed enemy would be able to do that, but then again, enemies are not supposed to be able to interrupt their patterns either. Conventional logic of enemy behavior she's used to from Mormia does not apply here.

A short distance away from the cliff, Lemon sits on a thick branch in a tree. She does not think she's safe up there for a moment, but the lengths that her enemy is willing to go to get her down from the tree surprises her. The hobgoblin jumps high, bouncing up like a grasshopper, and with a flying swing, he looks to slam his giant club straight at Lemon. Taking such a hit would surely result in an instant defeat, so she does the only thing she can think of and jumps down at the last second. Branch gets obliterated by the mace, as Lemon expected it would. Landing proves to be difficult, but at the very least, the hobgoblin now has to collect himself before preparing for the next charge. Lemon knows that this one she won't be able to dodge so easily.

She sees Rain coming and taking a turn to attack the enemy from the blind spot. As the hobgoblin prepares for a charge, Rain jumps from behind with a powerful slicing attack. Rain suspects that she won't be able to cut her enemy's limbs because of how thick they are, so she opts to attack his waist instead, cutting deep into the soft tissue below ribs. Interrupted, the hobgoblin adjusts his position, and his full attention is back on Rain. He receives rapid shots from the bow, which again cause him to turn his attention to Lemon, even more annoyed than before. Rain immediately realizes the method to this goblin's madness; you can't keep his attention with repeated attacks, taunting, or high damage. He will always target the last person to attack him regardless of how much damage it dealt, making him untankable. Rain knows of those enemies and how to deal with them, but the only viable two-player tactic she knows of requires two melee players. And since Lemon doesn't realize what Rain realized either, there is much Rain can do to help the situation. All she can do is watch the hobgoblin rush at Lemon, out of Rain's reach, who is now forced to play catch-up again.

I need to come up with some kind of strategy and make sure Lemon follows it, is her line of thinking, but for now, all she can think of is getting the attention back on herself and to make sure Lemon won't inadvertently complicate matters more.

Lemon manages to dodge the hobgoblin's charge, and that's when she also sees two more goblins coming their way from the distance. They're normal-sized, use melee weapons, and are the last thing Rain and Lemon want to happen to them. Not only that, but the hobgoblin has forced the fight dangerously close to the cliff. There is no escape for Lemon, who finds herself helpless at the edge of the cliff. She dodges the enemy's first attack but loses her footing and falls to her knees. Avoiding the second one will be impossible for her, especially since the enemy's pattern seems to start with quick swings this time around.

Rain finally catches up and attacks the enemy's wrist, only ending up grazing it. She can't sever it, just like she previously suspected. Next to the cliff's edge, she stops at the last second, with the enemy now looking to smash his club at her. She rolls out of the way at the last second, causing the club to crash down on the rocks beneath. The move shatters the ground along with a large portion of the cliff, causing the hobgoblin to fall down. For a moment, Rain thinks that this could maybe be a blessing as she avoids falling with it, but then she realizes that Lemon, who is slower and on her knees, is not so lucky. She's too slow to get to her feet, and although it looks for a moment like she would get away in time, she fails to do so. Shocked, Rain looks down, thinking about what the hell to do. She has a general idea of where the rest of her friends are, but she doesn't know anything about their conditions. She can't really get to them either, not without beating two goblins at once, who are now getting closer and closer. She suspects that her friends are fine, and she knows for a fact that Lemon is not going to be okay if left alone. Her heart begins to race hard as she mentally prepares for what many would consider a suicidal leap. She, however, knows that she'll be fine.

As fast as she can, she rushes towards the cliff and takes a massive leap forward as she summons her wings. She can't fly with them, but she can steer herself and, more importantly, soften her landing. With all the vegetation below, the landing is looking to be a soft one.

Vegetation saves Lemon from getting knocked out by the damage caused by the long fall. She's the only person in the group who can't conjure her wings yet, and this becomes very apparent as she falls through weak branches straight into a thick and lush bush. Stunned and without stamina, she can't muster up the strength to sit up. Laying on her back, she sees her enemy, which makes her heart skip a beat and the color drain from her face.

Bloodied and battered - having taken heavy damage - the hobgoblin stands up slowly. The only thing that remains of his extreme physical prowess is his size, as he can't move or hit as fast as he could before. Still, none of that matters to Lemon, who now expects herself to be caught, taken to Fort Hammercliff, impregnated, and raped over and over again until she goes mad. She is scared of this prospect and looks helpless, and watches the goblin drag his mace on the ground, walking towards her. The hobgoblin laughs deeply, rejoiced by her demise. And he never sees the attack coming. Neither does Lemon. A slice coming from above, dropping down like a meteorite straight against the goblin's shoulder, cuts down along the thick skin all the way to the waistline, where it cuts his belt clean in half. The hobgoblin loses his pants, a sight that turns Lemon's face white and blue in horror, as there is a massive erect goblin cock right in front of her. The enemy turns around, still alive and standing, facing Rain for the last time. She, too, finds herself taken aback by the size of her enemy's erect genitals.

"You…! You again!" he screams.

"You have to kill me to get to my dear friend."

"I'll make you wish you were dead!" the hobgoblin yells with bestial rage.

Rain realizes that her enemy is now injured and on his last legs. Even still, she's not sure if she can defeat him. She will, of course, try, because what other choice does she have? There's no way she's going down without a fight, especially because she knows that she has a better possibility of killing it now.

Rain prepares to attack the moment she realizes which pattern the goblin is on. To her surprise, the hobgoblin doesn't manage to dodge her attack this time, but her hit was still just a flesh wound. She can't kill the enemy with hits like that. She has to try harder. Focused, she prepares for the next set of attacks. And while she does, she realizes Lemon doing something. She's conjuring up something behind the unsuspecting goblin's back. A potion? Yes, indeed, a potion. Lemon didn't get knocked out completely, so it is very much possible for her to drink a stamina potion and get some stamina back, even though her bar has been reduced to just one-third of its original size. This would be a disaster for Rain, but this is an acceptable hindrance for Lemon, who doesn't need stamina for anything but dodging and running. Now, all Rain has to do is try to keep up with her enemy and not fail, and Lemon can hit the nail in the coffin from a blind spot.

Once confident she's at a safe distance, Lemon takes aim, waiting patiently. She, too, knows some of her enemy's patterns, even though she hasn't been able to observe them properly. She knows of one pattern in specific that ends up with a massive swing of a club followed by a short period of vulnerability. That is her best chance to score a massive hit. So, she waits and has to wait for a long time, as the patterns come in random. She's getting scared for Rain, who is running dry and can't keep up much longer. Finally, the enemy looks like it's executing the correct pattern, and Lemon pulls her bowstring to its absolute limit. One shot is all she needs now. She's sure of it. She waits. She won't even blink. Her heart is a mess, and she's visibly shaking, biding for the right moment. She finally releases the arrow, and it flies past the leaves and trees to connect its target. The arrow punctures the skull of her target.

Accompanied by a final dying scream, the hobgoblin disintegrates magnificently into thin particles, leaving behind its loot. Rain can't do anything but fall on her back and lay still. She's drenched in sweat, her breath is heavy, and her heart is pumping blood at maximum capacity. She and Lemon may have fallen down and separated from their friends, but at the very least, they're safe.

Rain closes her eyes, feeling like fainting, but she holds on to reality. She hears soft footsteps stop just beside her, and as she opens her eyes, she sees a kind smile on a familiar face of Lemon looking down at her. Seeing the smile puts one on her face as well, and she begins to laugh. Lemon giggles as well. In the end, despite all the hardship they went through, they succeeded together, which makes them both glad.

Lemon falls to her knees and opens up her inventory. She's the one with most of the spare potions, as well as a magical leather pouch of water that replenishes itself slowly for an endless supply of water. It is an uncommon dropped artifact that generates just enough water for one person to enjoy on a trip. She takes one sip of it and offers rest to Rain. "Drink up, Rain…"

"Thank you… And nice shot…"

Lemon giggles again. "I would never miss a shot like that."

"In a weird way, we were lucky to fall here", Rain says, now sitting up, and takes a huge and messy sip. "Fall damage sure did damage it enough for us to defeat it."

"And I sure was lucky to land on bushes", Lemon adds, sitting down next to Rain. "Few feet to the side, and I would've probably injured myself so badly I wouldn't have been able to fight."

"I kind of want to relax, but I'm afraid the goblins will find us here", Rain says and stands up, offering her hand to Lemon. "Let's loot the motherfucker and get out of here."

As Rain and Lemon check out the loot, Rain's bad luck regarding terrible loot comes to a screeching halt, as she loots a new top for herself. It's a hoodie, just like the last one, but it's black in color. On the backside, there is a print of a large, pink star. Since she does not find any problems with it, she decides to change up right away, keeping her other, now worse hoodie as a spare.

"Where should we go?" Lemon asks. "I feel like hugging the cliff would help us get home faster, but goblins may find us like that."

"We can follow the cliff, but let's not cling to it", Rain suggests.

It is what the two decide to go by. They stay close enough to see the cliffs constantly but avoid getting close to them.

---

After about five minutes of walking, they see a group of goblins. This one is different from the last one, and there are six of them. They are all collected to one place, and the duo of Nymphs are sure that they are hidden properly from them. The fact that there are so many goblins scares them, though, as they're not confident about being able to escape. Besides, they really want to take a break. They're both tired, especially Lemon. They do not know the exact mechanics behind the stamina degeneration yet, but they realize that Lemon's stamina isn't coming back. Their bodies demand rest, which they're not allowed as long as they're in the wild.

They come across a strange, gray stone formation in the middle of dense forest. These are stone pillars of some sort, with ornate carvings on them, and as they walk past them, they can also see more stone and ruins ahead of them. In fact, there is a whole ruined structure ahead of them. It's not quite a building anymore, but it is partially intact anyway. They can't even imagine how large it is in scale, but it seems partially underground. What was the purpose of this place they stumbled on? Regardless of its purpose, it looks like a kind of place that could offer a hiding place. Out in the open, where an enemy could come from any direction, they don't feel safe.

As they walk through the ruins, they suddenly find themselves deep in the midst of them. They walk on an ancient road paved with cobblestone, now overtaken by the grass, weed, and occasional flowers growing from the cracks. The abnormal trees around them take strange shapes, with dark brown vine-like branches and roots hugging the pillars and cracked stone walls. Leaves themselves look pretty normal, but the wood creeps them out. They also notice strange, closed "slits" in some of them, but they can't seem to find out what their purpose is. They look around anxiously, but there is nobody else around. Yet, they feel like they're being watched.

They finally find a good place to hide and relax at the entrance of a larger building with beautiful stone arcs and even more pillars. It's effectively a dead end, so should they be found, they would probably be screwed. They're sure that they'll be safe, though, as the ruins seem like a peaceful place. So, they both sit down.

As soon as Rain sits down, she picks up her map only to find out that they have walked quite a long distance away from the checkpoint. They have not found a way to get up from the valley yet, and she begins to think that maybe they should've gone in a different direction instead. Ruins are too large to be shown entirely on the map, but she feels like they don't have time to explore, as their safe return to Grove takes a priority. Just as she's about to ask Lemon for her opinion, she notices her leaning against her softly, and laying her head on Rain's shoulder, sighing. Rain looks at Lemon, who is staring at the map she can now see in front of her. Rain dares not to move and decides to not react to Lemon's sudden showing of affection in any way.

"Let me stay like this for a while…" Lemon whispers, sounding tired.

"What's up, Lemon…?" Rain asks. "You're pretty intimate."

"Yeah, I just kind of felt like leaning against you for a moment… If you don't mind…"

"I mean… I don't…" Rain doesn't honestly know how to respond. Since she's not bothered by Lemon, though, she decides to just relax and closes the map along with her eyes. Honestly, having someone stay so close to her feels calming to her. She feels Lemon cuddle up to her even more. Rain answers to this intimate approach by extending her arm to Lemon's shoulder, mostly so they can get even closer to each other. Lemon, too, moves her arm, reaching to Rain's hip.

"You're so warm and nice…"

"No, seriously… What's up with you…?" Rain asks.

"Don't make me say it…"

"Say what…?"

"Gosh, you're so dense…"

"I guess I am a little dense…" Rain admits, which makes Lemon smile.

"I'm just glad to have met you…" Lemon says and sighs happily. "And thanks for coming back down to save me from that stinky goblin…"

"You're welcome…" Rain whispers, also smiling. "I'm glad to have met you too." I'm glad she likes me, but this show of intimacy feels weird. It's like she's in love. Rain doesn't know if she's correct to have guessed that, but it's what she strongly suspects. She likes Lemon too, but not in any kind of romantic way. She thinks Lemon is undeniably cute, but she feels like trying to advance such an intimate relationship with her would probably be a bad idea. She was fine doing it with Pink because she knew there was nothing but lust involved for both parties, but if she did it with Lemon for the sake of simple lust, Lemon would probably get a wrong idea, which would likely damage their relationship more than it would help. Or, so Rain at least thinks. There's no way of knowing for sure without talking about it, but Rain is kind of embarrassed of bringing the topic up.

"Do you think we will survive…?" Lemon suddenly asks, after a brief moment of silence.

Rain begins by saying "Well" almost as if looking to continue from there, but she falls silent without finishing her sentence. "To be honest, I'm not very optimistic…"

"Yeah, me neither…" Lemon says, sounding a little depressed. "We're just simply too weak…"

Rain doesn't want to admit it, but Lemon is right. "It's so frustrating…" she says, almost sounding as if she was exhaling the words while sighing. "Let's be extra careful, alright? And protect each other."

Lemon nods, trying to smile. "That's a promise, alright?"

"Well, I do promise to try my best", Rain says silently.

Lemon suddenly hugs Rain even tighter, which startles Rain for a second. "I'm not even going to let them touch you. You're all mine…" Rain turns around, and they both look at each other. Rain blinks rapidly a few times, dumbfounded, while Lemon smiles with a bright blush on her cheeks. "In fact, why don't we make another promise?" Lemon asks, leaning closer. "Something to motivate us to get home…"

Rain thinks she knows where this is going but doesn't reply yet.

"I'm going to tell you exactly how I feel…" Lemon says with a voice that is absolutely seeping with lust. Rain can't help but blush, and her face mirrors clear signs of embarrassment. A shy smile appears on her lips, and her sudden change in demeanor is something that Lemon finds almost funny. "Are you into girls?" Lemon suddenly asks.

"Well, I mean… I AM a man in real life…"

Lemon's eyes suddenly thin, and her smile changes from a lustful one to one that is slightly more skeptical. "Wait, seriously? You're a guy?"

Not her too, Rain thinks, immediately reminded of when Pink was sure that she was really a girl. Am I really that girly? That's a grave blow to my manhood. She finally nods slowly. "Yeah, I'm a bloke in real life. How about you?"

"Well, I'm a real girl…" Lemon says, staring down Rain's body. "Then again, I guess you're now just as much of a real girl as I am…"

"I suppose…"

"Do you miss your dick?" Lemon asks with a dead-serious tone. "Since you're into chicks."

Rain admits it with a slight nod, although reluctantly.

"Really…? Would you love to bone me?"

Rain has never admitted to Lemon about being into kids, so she kind of dodges the question. "You do realize that you're a kid right now, right…?"

"Doesn't seem to be a problem to you right now", Lemon says and giggles softly. "Well, it doesn't matter. I don't want to stroke a sore spot, but I never was that much into dicks anyway…"

"So, you're into girls, huh…" Rain thinks out loud. "Does the fact that I'm a guy bother you then?"

Lemon blinks rapidly for a moment. "Not at all", she finally says, as if it was obvious. "Because you're a girl now."

Rain eyes down Lemon's body, thinking about how hot she is and how much of a shame it is that she doesn't like dicks. Just like Pink, Lemon is definitely a girl Rain would love banging, even though she's hesitant to say it out loud. Then again, she would rank all Nymphs she has seen so far by at least seven out of ten, way above what she would rate an average little girl. Well, not like I have to worry about that. I'm not going to be able to bang anyone with a damn cunt between my legs.

"By the way…" Lemon says. "What do you think happened to our friends when we got separated?"

"Well, I hope they got away… We were outnumbered pretty heavily, so I fear for them."

"Yeah, me too… But something tells me they're fine", Lemon says, trying to sound optimistic. "I hope…" she adds, a little meekly.

"Should we get going now?" Rain asks. "Are you fine now?"

"I feel a little bit better", Lemon says, nodding. "But… I kind of want to stay like this for a while longer…"

Rain nods, smiling. "Request granted. Few more minutes then."

"Oh, and about that promise we were supposed to make…"

Rain tilts her head confused, but instead of saying anything out loud, Lemon just gives her a quick smooch on her cheek. Blushing, Rain tries to process what just really happened and shuts down completely.

"I'll give you one on the lips once we get home, okay…?"

All Rain can do is nod in approval.

---

After about five more minutes of being side by side in each other's warmth, they decide to get up. Just as they're about to leave their little corner, though, they hear talking from the direction they came from. With low, masculine voices, monsters speak in a language unknown to them. Goblins or demons? They're not sure, and they don't even dare to look. They're both ready to draw their weapons, but for now, they just cling to each other and wait. It takes about a minute for them to realize that they're essentially hugging each other, which is something that makes them both smile and blush.

"Something tells me we shouldn't go back the same route", Rain says.

Lemon nods. "They could be on our tails." As she says that, she summons her bow and peeks outside. The enemy is gone, so they can move now. They must move with haste, though. They have two possible routes to choose from. One leads down the stairs, while the other is on a level ground, leading into a ruined building. They bank on the latter route, as going down the stairs could just lead them deeper into the ruins.

The temple complex turns out to be much bigger than they anticipated, but at the very least, it seems like they're heading out from the ruins. The route they picked also appears to be a safe one. They find themselves in a large room with something strange in the middle. It's a round stone table with a crystal standing on top of it. It reminds them of a Spell Crystal, but it's perfectly round, like a polished pearl. White in color, its surface looks almost as if that of a soap bubble. It takes many colors, and they seem to change depending on which direction you look it from. It's also a lot bigger than a Spell Crystal too, about three inches in diameter. It looks like a treasure, Rain wonders, but why is it lying in the middle of a room? They could be the first Nymphs to ever lay feet into these ruins, which would explain why it hasn't been touched.

As Rain - hungry for loot as ever - extends her hand towards it, a window describing this item appears. It's a purple item, which suggests that it's an extremely rare, high-tier treasure. It's not used for combat, and it's not a reagent either. It has no flavor text attached to it and no instructions for use. It simply has a name, "Relic of Deliria".

"Oh, that's some sweet loot", Lemon says. "Let's take it."

"I have some bad memories of picking up rare loot just laying around in the middle of nowhere", Rain says, hesitating.

"Oh, right… You told about that one time when you and those two dropped into that cave."

"This doesn't look like a trap, though…" Rain says, with her hand on her jaw. She looks around her. There is nothing but trees and roots around them, growing into the building from the outside. The floor doesn't look rigged either, so they can't except to be dropped anywhere. Speaking of drops, there is no roof either, so nothing should drop on them. "I say we go for it", she suggests as she summons her sword. "But let's draw our weapons first, just in case."

"I'll do the honors", Lemon says and clicks the item to put it in her inventory. Crystal disappears, and so, the loot has been taken. Left waiting in silence, two girls look around them. Nothing is happening. They both let out a sigh of relief. "Let's get out of here."

Now, out from the building, they find even more ruins. Ahead of them lies yet another cobblestone path. This part of the forest is even thicker than the last one. Rain looks around her, looking at the creepy trees. There is something strange in one of them. Something small, something white. It appears almost as if blinking and closely resembles an eye. When it blinks, Rain sees it for what it is. She remembers the closed slits from earlier and realizes that they were all eyes. These trees have eyes, and they seem to be following them. They didn't seem to be observing them earlier, or were they? She certainly has felt like she has been watched for a long time. "They're looking at us…" Rain whispers.

Lemon doesn't first understand what Rain means, but then, she sees the eye as well. "Sure seems like it", Lemon says, a little scared. "What even are they?"

"Not the slightest clue, but they haven't been watching us all the time we've been here, have they?"

"Not that I know of", Lemon says.

Rain tries to think about it hard, and it seems like they took an interest in them after they picked up the Relic. Or was it just a coincidence? Rain's not sure, and that's not the only question in her mind either. She also wonders who, if anything, is using these eyes to watch them? Are these trees connected to each other? If these trees communicate with each other and share information through roots, how big is the network?

Deep in her thoughts, Rain becomes utterly unaware of her surroundings. Hidden in a large crack of the cobblestone path is a strange flower, which comes alive and reveals its true nature. A large tentacle, green in color, attacks Rain from below, instantly grabbing onto her legs like a snake. Having snared its prey, the tentacle slimy tightens, and just like that, it has the Nymph locked to place. Rain has her weapon in hand but slicing a tentacle that has already grabbed her proves too tricky. She needs to attack the base, but it's tugging into her. She can't really cut it without hurting herself, which puts her in a dire pinch. Panicking, she starts pulling her leg and goes for a piercing attack. Somehow, she manages to slam her sword to the ground and cut the tentacle enough to pull her leg out.

Lemon couldn't do anything to help, which terrifies her. What is an arrow against a tentacle monster? You could even say that they are effectively immune against such ranged attacks. Sure, it's possible to shoot tentacles down in theory, but is it feasible? Lemon certainly thinks not. The only way for her to damage a tentacle monster is to attack its main body, but this one has its body hidden deep underground. She searches the area looking for more places where the tentacles could come from. More flowers look similar, but how many of them hide tentacles underneath them?

"Careful now!" Lemon instructs. "Avoid the plants. I think they're disguised tentacles."

"Yeah, got it", Rain says and takes few steps forward, only to be interrupted by a scream. Lemon actually backs down away from the cobblestone path to softer soil, which turns out to be a fatal mistake because while being able to disguise themselves as flowers that observe their surroundings, they have other limbs hiding underground as well. These tentacles can attack from any gap not completely covered by cobblestone.

And so, from underneath this soil, multiple tentacles attack Lemon. Eight green tentacles attack her in unison, taking hold of her legs to tie them together and then her arms to press them against her body. They raise her from the ground effortlessly but don't seem to be doing anything else yet.

Rain immediately runs in for the save but attacking so suddenly turns out to be a bad idea. One tentacle lashes her body like a whip, attacking her before she can take a proper defensive stance. It doesn't end with a lash either since the tentacle grabs onto her arm. It's not the arm she's holding a sword in, but Rain knows another similar attack would disarm her completely. Deciding that even though it might be difficult and exhausting, she should take a swing at her large sword with one hand alone.

However, before she can take the swing, she realizes that her sword is stuck. A tentacle has taken hold of her sword from behind. With all the strength she can muster, she pulls it away while cutting the skin of the tentacle holding it down, going on to then slash the tentacle gripping her arm. This move leaves her exhausted though, and vulnerable to the attack that's about to come. Having distracted and slowed down its prey, the monster attacks with another lash of a tentacle. Rain's feet are free, which helps her dodge it, miraculously so. Now, she can attack, and there is not a weapon stronger than a sword against tentacles. She targets the tentacles holding Lemon in place and cuts them in half, killing them all in one swing. Lemon drops to the ground as the tentacles disintegrate into thin air, but unable to gain her footing, she lands clumsily on the uneven ground beneath her. In a last-ditch effort, Rain grabs Lemon's arm to pull her towards herself and succeeds. They both fall to the ground, lying still on top of each other while breathing heavily.

"Oh my gosh, are we safe?" Lemon asks as she struggles to get up, still shaking in fear.

"No, we have no idea how many tentacles there are!" Rain yells. She suspects that they are in the middle of a minefield and surrounded by traps.

Traps are kinds of enemies that do not follow the conventional logic of ranked enemies. They are very easy to avoid encounters if you know where they are hiding and how they work, but they cannot be easily damaged, at least not before they reveal themselves. Some of them are even unkillable. Usually, Rain and Lemon would rely on Wendy to spot traps from afar with her Scouting skills, but this time around, they can't and thus have no idea where the enemies are. How large is the trapped area, and how many tentacles are there really lurking below them? Too many for them to handle is the correct answer.

Unable to get up in time, they are helpless against what's about to come for them. From where the last tentacles came, more come, and they grab onto both of their ankles. When Rain fell, her sword also fell out of her hand, so she tries to reach it, only to find it too far away. The sole lifeline she has is arm's length away from her fingertips, and the distance keeps growing. She can't resummon the weapon yet, and she also knows that once she's restrained, she's not going to be able to summon it at all. Tentacles pull on their legs, dragging their bodies towards the woods, slowly but surely.

"Can't you do anything!?" Lemon asks, almost screaming in panic. "They're going to rape us!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Rain shouts. She knows that it isn't her fault, but at the same time, part of her feels responsible for their demise since she was the only one who is the only one who can defend themselves against these kinds of enemies. She's not one to take personal failure lightly, which makes her upset on top of being scared.

Lemon is even more upset than Rain is. She knew from the moment she picked up her class that there would be some great advantages and weaknesses for her - as there are for every class - but she never guessed that she would come across an enemy she can't do anything against. Just the idea of being in such a situation - against a foe she can't even damage - is upsetting and frustrating for her. She tries desperately to grab onto something, but she's already too close to ground zero, from where she can no longer save herself.

Unable to see what's happening underneath her, she feels tentacles taking hold of her entire body once again, and worst of all, there's way more of them than last time around. This time, they're not looking to tie her into one tight package like a rope but instead restrain each one of her body parts separately for absolute control over her. Realizing that she's going to be raped now, she wails quietly, repeating the word "No" over and over again. She can't accept losing virginity like this, not at the hands of tentacles of all things. She isn't the kind of girl who likes to be restrained by anything, period. To have her entire body and all her limbs restrained is a nightmare come true, so much so that she doesn't even have the courage to scream. Tips of the tentacles are also looking to get underneath her clothes and pressing the full length underneath them. They have easy access to her bare nipples and her buttocks, but they're not looking to invade any of her holes. Not yet.

Rain is nowhere as scared as Lemon is. More than anything, she's just angry and disgusted. The tentacles feel slimy, but even though they're covered in a layer of mucus, they don't stick to her skin. She also feels tentacles dancing on her bare skin directly, and since she's wearing a skirt, tentacles have much easier access to between her legs. The only tentacle that is content with touching her indirectly is the one that is pressing against her panties, digging into her slit. She can feel its tip around where her clitoral hood is, and the slight movements of this tentacle cause her to move and struggle. With every struggle though, the tentacles just tighten around her body. They're not looking to suppress her movements completely or to hurt her, but they immobilize her body by pushing her back firmly to the ground.

Meanwhile, the tentacles underneath the two Nymph's clothes begin to properly undress them. They're slow and ineffective at doing it since they can't really undress them while having them restrained, so they tear through the clothes instead. They have a much easier time with Rain, but that doesn't mean that Lemon's pants are safe either. They feel their bottoms coming down, and not just the skirt and pants, but also the panties along with them.

To surprise Lemon once again is a new set of tentacles attacking her from the blind spot, grabbing onto her thighs and shoulders. With the added strength, they're able to lift her from the ground. As she is raised to an upward position, levitating above the ground, her legs are forcefully spread wide apart. She can't muster up the strength to resist even an inch, which causes her to panic, especially since she knows how exposed she must look right now. "No, not like this!" A desperate cry for help is voiced, but nothing can stop what's coming. She can't see well what's happening underneath her, and to be honest, she isn't even trying, but Rain, who's still lying on the ground, eyes locked to Lemon's body, can see that there is an additional tentacle - one that is a little different from the others - that has not grabbed Lemon and has not touched her even once yet. Now, it's preying on its victim, and it has a clear target, perfectly exposed for it to assault effortlessly. Its thick head presses against the brown slit of a little girl and immediately digs in, beginning to push. Lemon continues to protest. "No, get the hell away from me!" However, it's all in vain.

Rain's situation doesn't seem to be getting any better, as she's fully exposed down there as well. A big tentacle similar to the one tormenting Lemon appears between her legs, attacking her vagina. She, too, tries to resist, but it's all useless. Her entire body is restricted by the tentacles, and she can't shake her hips at all. She can only watch how it presses against her genitals and begins to tease her opening. Shaking, Rain finds it impossible to resist the pleasure seeping in. Just like the last time, when Pink touched her down there for the first time, a sudden, intense sensation fills her from all the way from the tips of her toes to the back of her head. Her body remembers this sensation oh so well, and every brush from the drippy tentacle against her immature slit drains away her ability to resist while simultaneously preparing her for a painless insertion. Because of her inability to stop this - and her immense frustration - Rain is starting to tear up. She feels defeated and at mercy, being toyed by her soon-to-be rapist.

Just fucking rape me already and get it over with, she swears in her mind, clenching her teeth. She knows - nay, she hopes - that the tentacle trap will be done after one time, so the quicker it rapes her, the better. She still doesn't want it, but if it's going to happen anyway, why bother resisting? Why delay the inevitable?

Lemon shakes her lower body with all the strength she can muster. She can even avoid the tentacle a little bit, moving her hips away, but the tentacle is following her, still constantly pressed against her. In fact, movement only makes it so that it gets to lick her genitals, which are unforgivably sensitive to a foreign touch. Tentacles grab tighter to her thighs, taking away her ability to sway her hips as well, and the tentacle is already in place. It can't be avoided.

Then, at the same time, both tentacles begin to push forward. In one teary blink of an eye, tentacle invades the virgin hole of Lemon with a snap and a punch, finally causing its victim to scream and shout. The tentacle won't start thrusting in and out yet, and instead just keeps itself in place, letting Lemon feel the size of the thing inside her. It's not a sensation wholly unknown to her. She claims to not being that much into dicks, but she has some experience with sex toys. It's just that the scale is completely out of the ordinary for her, as is the fact that she's not the one in control. She wants it out from her so bad, yet it just keeps pressing upwards, pushing her entire body along. Her muscles tighten, almost as if trying to tell it to get out, but it just makes things worse. She's molded into shape by a foreign invader, and trying to resist it just makes it feel like it's being sucked deeper inside with each relaxation of her muscles.

And so, the tentacle begins to drag out, grinding her insides with amazing friction, causing her entire body to tremble in a stunning shock. Eyes closed, cheeks filled with tears, she lets out another long wail. Quickly, it is interrupted by another quick movement of the tentacle slamming back deep inside her. And then, finally, the second time it drags out, it picks up the pace. It's quick from the very beginning and rapes the little Nymph hard.

Simultaneously, the tentacle inserts into Rain, just as quickly and as easily. As her hymen tears, her back arcs back in surprise, and she lets out a loud gasp. I can't take this after all! she mourns. It's too damn big! For fucks sake, just get it over with! She knew that the tentacle was a large one, yet she still finds herself surprised by the overwhelming physical sensation, multiplied by her minuscule size, her childish figure, and her young, firm muscles for added intensity. Instantaneous insertion reaches deeper than fingers that once pleasured her ever could. It's thicker and bigger than anything she's experienced before. For the first time in her life, she feels just what it feels like to have a pussy stuffed full and stretched out by a massive organ. She hates it just as much as she thought she would. She identifies as a man, and while she doesn't care about looking like a girl, a pussy is not something she wants to have. Too bad for her she has one, and it's going to be used and raped hard.

Rain is not given much time to feel the tentacle lay still inside her. The movement begins for her in the exact same manner as it did for Lemon. It drags out slow, slams in quick, and then, it's constant motion from there. The second thrust causes her to gasp again. Morbidly fascinated by the sight, she watches just how it moves in and out of her, disappearing deep inside her body with each forward thrust, and to her, it looks just as intense as it feels. From the angle she's in, she can't see the place where they connect, but she can see just how thick it is and just how fast it moves. The tentacle turns and twists, slithering as it retracts and straightens as it slams back in. Rain's pussy gets oiled up forcefully by the slimy lubricant coating the tentacle as her body tries to desperately accommodate. It's not just the wetness she feels either, but also unwilling, stubborn pleasure. Her face, which mirrors disgust and fear, is starting to turn redder, and her mouth is widening open as her breathing turns harder. She absolutely cannot accept the way it's making her feel. Please, just finish already, she begs. If it doesn't finish up before I cum, I will surely go crazy!

As Lemon gets fucked from below, her facial expressions begin to change as well. They do not mirror pure fear and terror anymore, as unwanted pleasure is mixed into them. How can they even make me feel like this? she mourns as tears fall down her cheek. Having never felt pleasure so intense before, she's in disbelief, unable to accept such delight could be a byproduct of rape.

She opens her eyes up just a little bit, and suddenly, she realizes more tentacles coming for her. They haven't been under her clothes for a while now. She still has her shirt on, and that is about to change. These tentacles come from the front and behind, and squirming, they raise her shirt, revealing her flat chest and belly. They come out from the shirt's arms and the neck hole, and they begin to pull this shirt apart. Along with her pearly necklace, her top gets ripped off, and her immature upper body is revealed from below. She watches tentacles immediately latch onto her nipples, rubbing and twisting them with tiny little worm-like appendages coming out from inside these tentacles. Another one of these tentacles assaults the outer parts of her vagina, teasing her clit while she gets fucked. Her face is not spared from the tentacles either. One comes from behind her neck moves up and down her cheek while the little one pulls on the side of her mouth. Teased all over, effectively levitating in the air, restrained by warm and squishy tentacles, she can no longer deny how good they make her feel. She can't appreciate it given the circumstances, but they certainly take a toll on her sanity. And she's not the only one.

Tentacles descend on Rain's body to raise her body from the ground, tearing her back from the ground beneath. They pull her legs down, spreading and forcing them apart further, all while it thrusts without slowing down even for a moment. The tentacles with little feelers are also on her, looking for a way underneath her top. She feels them tease her nipples, and she can see her clothes bulge. They actually have the intelligence to pull down the zipper, which both fascinates and terrifies Rain at the same time. Then, tentacles pull her higher, partially undressing her without destroying the shirt. Naked, she finds herself finally raised to an upward position, which it just seems to find even more intense. The tentacle has enough length to pierce through her entire body, and it moves so hard. It physically can't pierce her, of course, but every hit is still like a strike of a hammer.

Wasting no more time, driven by their primordial, demonic lust to dominate, they start moving twice as fast as before. Neither Rain nor Lemon can resist at all anymore. Defeated mentally and physically, they both yell, scream and moan in panic, surprise, and awe. The energy and vigor the tentacles have amazes them. One by one, irresistible pleasure overtakes their bodies, almost as if from out of nowhere. The first one to give in is Lemon, but Rain is not too far behind. Lost in pleasure caused by their respective, sudden climaxes, they can't even process what the tentacles have in store for their bodies. Sperm gushes into their wombs, filling them up with thick, demonic cream. What this means for them remains to be seen, as they do not know for certain how strong these tentacles are. Besides, they have not seen any lore about whenever trap enemies even can impregnate Nymphs.

Much to their relief, the tentacles retract back underground, satisfied, and their torture comes to a close. The trap is on cooldown and cannot be triggered again for a while. Even after a half minute's worth of rest, tentacles are not coming back. Two Nymphs are left lying naked on the ground, next to each other. Stunned, neither of them can move.

As short-lived as their torment was, it was still way too long. It wasn't quite a marathon, but it was as draining as a hundred-meter sprint can possibly be. The rape did untold damage to them, and they know for sure that they for sure won't be able to defend themselves should they be attacked. Even a rank F enemy would probably manhandle them.

Rain, struggling to get up, rolls on top of her stomach, swearing in her mind. If she wasn't feeling pessimistic about her and Lemon's chances of survival before, she sure is now. If getting raped is that easy when they're relatively able to fight, how bad are things going to get to them now that they're both unable to even defend themselves properly? She can't even get on her knees, much less fight with a sword. What's more, she knows they're still being observed. She can see the eyes that gaze down on them.

"We need to get away…!" Rain says, finally forcing herself to her knees. Her hips are a weak mess, and her legs feel like they wouldn't be able to carry her weight standing up.

"I can't even get up…" Lemon says, weeping, on the brink of a breakdown. "How could this happen to us…!"

Work, body, work! Rain commands herself, punching down on her thigh. Get up, you stupid body of mine!

Rain gets to her shaky feet, breathing heavily. As if the throbbing, lingering ache between her legs wasn't enough, she can feel semen drip down her leg as a reminder of the fact that tentacles emptied a massive load inside her. She has done her best not to cry during all this, but she cannot hold back her tears fully. She is determined to not burst out crying, not until she has been completely defeated, and she won't give up without a fight, no matter how desperate that fight could be. "We have to move, Lemon…" she whispers. "Before they attack us again…"

Lemon finds it tough, but she nods anyway. She understands that they really have to go. There's no way they can stay on the path they choose, for this way is full of traps. Who knows what would happen should traps catch them again.

---

While their low stamina is perhaps the most damaging factor in their physical states, their persistent horniness is what worries them more. It's like a migraine, having completely overtaken their physical wellbeing. It's constantly on their minds, and it won't go away or ease. Being pregnant might be a big worry long-term, but short-term sexual excitement is what's more worrying. Their bodies demand immediate rest.

They drag their bodies slowly back inside the temple, which seems to be a safe place, as far as the threat of tentacles is concerned. They find a good corner to hide in and sit down to rest. As soon as she can, Lemon takes the opportunity to research the cause of their horniness. She discovers a hidden status-altering effect called "Miasma poisoning" through her mastery of Alchemy, which seems a condition caused by demonic semen. It's a stacking effect, and there is no cure for it as far as Lemon knows.

"I suspected a poison, but unfortunately, there's no cure for this one", Lemon explains, sighing deeply.

"How do we get rid of this effect then?" Rain asks. "I mean, there's not even a timer on it."

"Yeah, who knows how long it'll last", Lemon answers. She's still in a heavy state and in much worse mental condition than the pissed-off Rain, but sitting down, she at least feels herself recover ever-so-slightly. Seeing that Rain is taking the rape better motivates her to stay strong as well … or at least try to.

"Should we wait it out, or should we try?" Rain asks.

Lemon sighs. "I honestly think they're both dangerous options…" They now know that the ruins harbor tentacles, but who knows how many there are and where they lie? And then, there's the issue of those eyes, she realizes. If they really do observe us, then the enemy must know where we are right now. "Still, I think we have to move soon", she finally says with a very soft voice. "Somewhere where the eyes won't follow…"

"I'm inclined to agree", Rain admits and observes the interior of the building they're in. They only have two exits; one leads towards the place where they were just raped, while the other leads back deeper into the ruins, from where they originally came from. Both options suck, she tells herself and sighs deeply, leaning against the stone wall with her bare back. She's about to speak out as she feels the rock move behind her. Her back presses against a rigged tile, which is now pressed firmly down. She leans forward, almost as if expecting something horrible to happen, but no, it's just a door. Or, more specifically, a secret pathway.

Still sitting down, Rain gazes down this now open path and sees it leading down a tunnel back outside, illuminated by strange energy crystals on the walls. "Did our luck just turn around…?" she asks, whispering. "Or is this too good to be true…?"

"I do certainly think this is too good to be too", Lemon says with a skeptical tone, "but I don't think we have any better alternatives at the moment."

"Yeah, I'm not too keen on going back to that stupid road with tentacles underneath", Rain says.

"And there could still be enemies patrolling deeper in the ruins as well", Lemon says.

"Yep, I think this is worth a risk", Rain says and gets up. This time, she feels like she has an easier time staying on two feet. She still can't even dream of running though.

"Should we go right away then…?" Lemon asks. "Maybe rest in some better place. I don't feel safe here."

Rain agrees with the idea and offers Lemon a hand, pulling her up to her feet. As soon as Lemon gets on her feet, she also feels like being able to stand and walk properly. Then, with Rain leading the way, they enter the corridor and walk forward very carefully. Got to be sure to watch my footing, because there could be more tiles like the last one, Rain suspects.

Just like that, a crack can be heard. This time, it comes from underneath the two girls. Rain is sure it wasn't her, so it must've been Lemon, and Lemon notices it too. Her foot stepped on a loose tile on the floor, causing two walls to drop from the floor on both ends of the tunnel to lock them inside of the dark corridor. What's more, they feel the ground beneath them shake and move. The floor splits in two in the middle, and the gab begins to immediately widen, revealing a long and scary fall.

Left standing on the opposite sides of this now widening gap, they both see something appear in between them; a dozen mean, big, green, and bumpy tentacles reaching up from the hole below. They're given no time to process the situation in which they're in before they all attack at the same time, lashing out with vicious force, taking hold of their ankles, thighs, and wrists. Horrified of what's suddenly happening, they helplessly stare at their legs and feet being pulled towards the still-widening massive gap in the middle of the room. They both realize there's absolutely nothing that can save them anymore.

The fall is not a long one, not that it matters anyway. Restrained, they're not dropping down. They're left hovering in the air on top of the monster that has them snared. They find themselves not in a pit but rather a large, wide room. In the middle of it, above the point where they are, is perhaps the worst thing imaginable for them. What they see is no simple trap.

Held in an upwards position, next to each other, face to face, chests close to each other, they both observe the demon beneath them. It's the green heart of a colossus extending its root-like tentacles all the way to the walls and through the cracked stone walls into its surroundings. They understand now that this is the massive demon that has connected itself to the vegetation above and corrupted it far and wide, perhaps even the very same demon that had laid the tentacle traps outside and already raped them once. It's a big, bad boss, large like a truck. In that sense, you could call it a trap, one that you can't escape.

Rain and Lemon know this from the beginning. Tentacles haven't even raped them yet, and they already know that they won't be able to escape. All of the anger Rain had filled in her heart transforms in a duration of one gasp of terror into despair, while Lemon's once-thought-to-be-nightmare turns into a hell. No words are spoken, and no tears are shed. All they can do is stare in utter disbelief.

More tentacles come for their bodies, attacking them in a flash. Where a human would perhaps require some time and effort to restrain a struggling foe, these tentacles don't. Multiple tentacles, each possessing enough strength to subdue a little Nymph alone, immediately latch into their bodies, turning and twisting their joints as if they were mere toys. And then, with not even ten seconds having passed since they got pulled down, new tentacles are already coming for their genitals.

As the tip of the glans presses against Lemon from the blind angle, she finally screams out loud. "This cannot be happening!" The new tentacle doesn't initially feel any thicker than the last one, but once it starts to push against the soft and wet lips and into the tiny hole hidden in between, Lemon immediately realizes that this one is way bigger than the last one. It hasn't even inserted into her, yet it already feels like it's stretching her to her limits. Her body lets it in relatively quickly, and the tip sinks into her depths, followed by a thick shaft covered in countless small bumps, teasing her stretched-out opening as the tip presses hard up against her cervix.

Rain gets penetrated in a similar fashion, and this time around, her reactions are much louder. As the tentacle penetrates her already wet pussy, she lets out a loud scream, which halfway through morphs into a moan of pleasure. It's not waiting around to feel her insides either as it begins to thrust viciously from the get-go. Her pussy is stretched out to the limit and pounded mercilessly. She struggles with all her remaining strength out of pure desperation, but her legs won't even flinch from the bondage. She can't move her knees even an inch closer to each other. Her hands are quickly restrained and tied in a tight package behind her back as well. She sways in the air, in rhythm with tentacle cock, while the ropers holding her in place move her in a tight package back and forth in a way that would surely make an adult jiggle. No longer able to wish for her rapist to just get it over with, her plea turns from one into another.

"Stop, stop it! Please, just stop!" A desperate plea spoken out loud will not help her, as the tentacle is bound to her pussy. And amid this panic, she also feels extreme ecstasy lingering from her first rape and her first orgasm.

Suddenly, she feels a slimy and wet kiss on another one of her holes. A place nobody has touched yet is being invaded by yet another massive tentacle. Kissing her anus, it follows her movements, pressing down on the hole. She lets out only one soft "No" as she clenches her entire body, almost as if preparing for a sharp jolt of pain. Covered in thick mucus, the tentacle penetrates her virgin anus in one split second. Her entire lower body twitches as her eyes roll back. She spasms heavily and feels both of her holes convulse. In a vicious chain reaction, anal insertion causes her to get to the brink of cumming.

Pleasure radiates all over her body as the bumpy rods both begin to move in and out of her. Just like the one in her pussy, the tentacle in her ass doesn't wait to feel her out. It moves just as fast as the other one, at almost the exact same pace. Her narrow waistline and hips feel barely enough to fit one tentacle. Now, with two, it feels as if the two giant cocks are rubbing against each other inside her tight clamp. Most surprisingly, the pain she expected never came. Even when having her ass raped, she is unable to differentiate pain from the sea of ecstasy.

Why is my body acting like this!? It will drive me crazy! I'll lose my mind! I will seriously lose my sanity if I cum!

There is nothing she can do to slow the tentacles down and nothing she can do to resist her bodily pleasure. A squirting orgasm takes over her body, her mind, and her soul. Tongue extending out and eyes rolling back, she moans as tears finally start to roll down. Yet, one would expect from her madly smiling face that those are tears of joy. They're not. They're the first and the last tears of sadness and fear that she will shed during this ordeal. She does not experience just the rape and forceful submission of her body, but also the submission of her mind. Ever since the first trap, she has already gotten addicted, and every orgasm will just drag her deeper into this hole until there is no escape from her mind's prison. The tentacles force her to accept being a slut for them.

In front of Rain, in the exact same position, like a mirror image of her, so close that she would touch her if she could, Lemon sees how the tentacle penetrates Rain from behind, and she is honestly expecting the same to happen to her. Her heart begins to beat like a drum, as the last thing she wants is a tentacle in her butt. The demon has something else in mind for her though, as a tentacle presents itself to her face, showing her exactly what it looks like from a close-up. Turns out, it looks exactly what it feels like, but that's not Lemon's biggest worry. She knows that the demon is thinking, and she's looking to resist it to the bitter end. She clenches her teeth and shuts her lips tight, muffling her cries and her moans. It's a hard feat to accomplish, yet it's going to be even harder to keep the tentacle away from her face.

The tip kisses her lips, rolling around and pushing hard. For the first time ever, the tentacles are looking to physically hurt her by twisting her arms into a painful submission, and she can't help but let the phallic tentacle into her mouth as she involuntarily tries to scream in pain. She has no other choice. Instantly, it comes in deep. She won't even gag; she's physically incapable of it. Her lips and tongue press against its slimy skin, forcing her to taste it. She can't even bite it, as her jaw feels absolutely powerless. Then again, she knows that she wouldn't be able to hurt it anyway. It moves back and forth and causes her mouth to make slurping sounds as she tries to moan, muffled. She can't take anymore either. She, too, will be forced cum just as intensely as Rain did just before her. Yet, the tentacle doesn't slow down. It's not even close to cumming yet, having merely started.

Orgasming just once has completely taken away their abilities to struggle. Rendered obedient, their bodies accept defeat, not that tentacles care. They are determined to get rougher than before anyway. The demon wants to dominate, and it tightens its stranglehold on its two prey.

In restraining bondage, the tentacles invading the two girls speed up. Two more tentacles attack, one for each, one bound to fill a hole left unabused. Rain can't even bring herself to close her mouth as her eyes gaze down on the tentacle. Tongue extended out, mouth wide open from moaning, it forces itself into her mouth. At the same time, Lemon feels the tentacle being inserted into her ass before she can even properly process that it even is there. It sends her body into a similar shock that Rain experienced earlier and to the brink of yet another orgasm.

All three holes for both are being stuffed, and these tentacles are loading up thick white liquid for them. All these slimy tentacles sweat mucus, conjuring up a powerful, intoxicating smell. While it covers parts of their bodies and makes their skin feel hot and even more sensitive, it attacks the rest of their senses. From sexual pleasure to the sounds and smells around them, they can't envision anything except tentacle rape in their minds. They can't move, they can't slow the rapists down, and they can't even moan or beg for them to stop anymore. There is just one thing left to do: ejaculate. Their fate is fast approaching.

Tentacles speed up once again for one final time. Girls can't imagine them getting any quicker from this. There's just no way they can. The tentacles between their legs push deeper and thrust even harder than before. They do not batter their mouths, but their holes sure are being crushed while they feel like their entire bodies, along with their internal organs, are giving in. It's not a painful sensation but rather one of rapture. It's yet another ingredient to the sexual cocktail, yet another way to intensify their pleasure further. As absurdly powerful as the previous two orgasms were for them, they know that the coming orgasms will be even more incredible.

In her last moments of sanity and defiance, Lemon finally accepts her fate. This is it, this is the end. She may be right, as much as she hates it. Even though a devout, lifelong lesbian, she cannot even get her mind off the tentacle dicks that triple penetrate her. How can it be that they have made her feel more incredible than anything she has experienced in her lifetime? It's not fair, she tells herself. How could it be? Her preferred partner could never make her feel like this, and the tentacles are sure to teach her that.

Rain finds herself finding her situation unfair as well. She's not the one that is supposed to be in this situation. She's not supposed to be a child, a little girl to be fucked by anything. She's the one who's supposed to be in control in her fantasies. She's the one that is supposed to be making little girls feel like she's feeling right now. So why? Why must she be going through all this? Whatever the reason, she will have to get used to it. She's must learn to love being a girl, and more importantly, love being a slut for the tentacles to abuse.

Filled with their respective thoughts of defeat and reluctant acceptance, they feel their climaxes coming. Lemon will cum once again at the hands of something she doesn't find herself attracted to, while Rain will cum like the little girl she's been transformed into and forced to live as. They get pounded all the way to their orgasms, and even after they start cumming, the tentacles still won't stop. Not until they're halfway through their next climaxes.

All the tentacles stop at the same time, with simultaneous ejaculations of all six throbbing tentacles. Pouring down their throats, into their guts, and filling up their wombs, sperm gushes into their tiny girly holes in abnormal amounts. And the tentacles do not give an inch. They do not care about covering up their bodies with sperm or aesthetics. All they want to do is get it all inside the girls. In that very moment, as they taste the cum for the very first time in their lives - and find it tasting good - and as they feel the throbbing tentacles letting a wave of cum into their guts, they find the sperm entering their wombs to be the most satisfying sensation of them all. Demonic seed, one that will surely cultivate offspring inside their tiny bellies, fills them to the absolute brim. The tentacle demon wants to put his two new seedbeds into good use.

Their hunger has not been satisfied, and it never will. Tentacles do not wait to relish in the afterglow and restart the thrusting right from where they last left. They will not be pulling away, not for a long time. The only reason for them to retract is for them to slam back in hard, and the two Nymphs must take it all.

---

Tentacles have become a little less hands-on with the girls, as there is no need for them to restrain them so hard anymore. No longer holding them in the air in a package, they instead let them lay still in different kinds of positions, sometimes even on their knees, forced to ride the tentacles. There is still a clear pecking order, as the tentacles are still calling the shots, but Rain and Lemon are okay with anything. They can't escape, and they wouldn't escape even if you gave them a chance. Not only do they find themselves consenting, but they also find themselves actually pushing themselves on the tentacles. None of this is because of their own volition, as they would never do that if they were sane. The problem is, they are no longer sane. They have gone completely insane.

Along with the seed came a poison more potent than the last one to further corrupt their bodies, souls, and minds. Filled with demonic miasma, cause of this poisoning, semen is pumped into the two girls even after their bodies shouldn't realistically be able to take anymore. What's really going through their minds anymore? Well, not much, really. They have been reduced to being simple creatures who live only for sex, and their brains have been adjusted accordingly.

Of course, the sperm has more obvious effects as well. Having been pumped full of it, their bellies not only bulged up with semen but also with the eggs that had slowly started to grow up inside of them. Anyone could see they were pregnant, but they still had hours to go before they would be forced to deliver. The tentacles had now also made sure to coat their skin with semen as well to really make them look like a pair of pitiful little tentacle slaves.

It's not just the tentacles the Nymphs find pleasure in either, but also themselves. Tentacles allow them this pleasure. After all, the demon has been very okay with the idea of an FFM threesome since the beginning.

Currently, two Nymphs lay on top of each other on a fleshy bed, barely restrained. Rain is on top, while Lemon plays the bottom. Free from waist up, they indulge in each other with both their mouths and their hands while the tentacles still penetrate both their holes and keep hold of their legs and hips. They play with each other's flat chests with both their fingers and their mouths as if enchanted by the childish beauty. They grab each other, hug tight, kiss, exchange saliva, and even swap cum. They occasionally rub each other's clits to intensify pleasure too, especially when nearing orgasms, and they don't even have to communicate. All this is something they do out of a pure primordial instinct for pleasure. As if mind controlled, they do all this without thinking. Intoxicated by the tentacle semen and each other, their minds are blank and broken.

How long has it already taken? How long do they have in front of them as they are rushed towards their demise? They do not know, and they don't even understand the concept of time. There undoubtedly is a long road behind them. Yet, that lengthy road still pales in comparison to the one that lays in front of them. Night has fallen, not that they know or care anything about it. Should things remain the same - should no one find them - there would be a dozen more sleepless nights in their immediate future. The mental breakdown does not occur in one night, even in their case where they've already broken down.

Still, regardless of how long it takes, one thing is for sure; they cannot be corrupted any further. They have been turned into sluts. It doesn't matter if salvation or doom awaits them; they will never fully recover regardless, and they will never go back to being what they used to be.

Poison

Excerpt from the Gamer's Logbook; "Exploring the Mechanics of Nymphsaga", entry number ???, "Universal Principles of Channeling Mana."

Channeling mana is an integral part of every Nymph's life, even in the case of those who do not possess any abilities to cast spells. Every Nymph has mana, and all of them regardless of their profession, class or talent choices, have the exact same amount of it. Only things like regeneration rate and spell cost can be altered, as the amount of maximum mana can never change. Channeling mana and magical energy are something that is required for every in-game action in the game, even in the cases where the ability in question might not cost any mana. Every Nymph has this hard coded to their brains. So, how is it done?

Every spell, ability or an action requires three things to happen at the same time to be successfully activated: A state of mind, motion and a resource to spend. When all conditions are met, mana will flow automatically through these actions and activate the ability in question. Let's go through all of these.

First, is the state of mind. No, we're not talking about emotions. You can cast while happy, sad, confused and angry. We're talking about something similar to spoken words or incantations. They're not always words, as they can be pictures and figures as well. When Nymph learns a new ability, it will always come with an instruction, and one of the instructions is always to picture a specific state of mind. For example, to enable user interface, Nymph must picture a window in front of them. In case of spoken words, like incantations, they can also be spoken out loud. It doesn't really make a bit of difference anyway. There are also some items that do not require a state of mind, like items that can have their effect triggered through magic channeling. Magical lanterns are good example, which you just need look at. And finally, it is worth pointing out that there is one literal "state of mind" that prevents casting, and that is insanity. It can be caused by various different status altering effects, like some potent aphrodisiacs. On that note, other things that can prevent channeling mana are silencing effects, usually casted by Arcane casters, some demons and some metaphysical enemies.

Second is the motion, which is specified in the instructions as well. To use user interface as an example again, they must swipe their hand while holding the fingers together. For a powered-up melee swing, there has to be the swing. For a spell, there has to be a specific alignment of fingers and hands. Some complex spells might even require something similar to a part of a dance, or meditation. Some abilities can use motions shared between many different abilities, so that's why state of mind is required as well. Snap of a finger, for example, is used to activate about over a hundred different items, and even some abilities.

Third, and last, is the resource to spend. This should be pretty straight forward. Want to use a melee ability? You need stamina. Want to cast a spell? You need mana. Want to make a product through your profession? You need the ingredients summoned in front of you. Want to put on the lights? Well, you don't need anything for that. Many abilities like that exist as well. There are also some rare, extremely powerful high tier abilities that may need actual reagents in addition to mana or stamina cost as well.

Once these three conditions are made, the ability will be used, cast, activated, or whatever. And no, using these abilities is actually not hard at all. It's way easier than it sounds, as every Nymph just knows how to do it, just like they know how to breathe without constantly thinking about it. Once you get a hang of it, it will be just nature for you.

…

Angel stands still in silence, with nothing but the sound of calm wind stroking the nature around her. There are no sounds coming out from the apartment, and nobody is answering the door. She tries to take a peek inside but can't figure out if anyone is inside. Having waited for a long enough time, she figures out that her only choice is to give up and leave; her friends are not there. She needs to get back to work and get Wendy her medicine.

Near the edge of Grove, very close to the barrier, she looks around the bushes in hopes of finding some nettles. Her first clue comes in form of a strong, yet pleasant smell, which leads her to this poisonous plant. She finds three nettles growing next to wild flowers, close to a large oak at the very edge of Grove. She has one instruction to go by, and one instruction only: do NOT touch the leaves. It should be an easy feat to accomplish, as the shaft is very long. All she has to do is to take it by its stalk and just pick it up. Or, so she thinks. She can't just pick up the nettle, as it appears to be much sturdier than she ever anticipated. She can't even rip off the entire plant off the ground, as the roots go very deep beneath the ground. 'If only I had a knife', she mourns, as she relaxes for a moment. She takes a deep breath and goes for one last pull. Just as she's about to grab it, she realizes something flying right past her, right in front of her eyes. It's a giant fly, and it startles her for a second. She ends up falling backwards straight on her butt. Burning sensation takes over her entire hand, and her heartbeat suddenly hastens as she realizes what she had just done. She ended up doing the very thing she absolutely had to avoid doing, and that was touching the leaves. Poison now runs through her veins, but this is not a poison that will hurt her or try to kill her. No, this poison will make her horny. Just how horny exactly? She's nervous about having to find out, but her brains tell her that it shouldn't be a big deal. 'I mean, it only grazed back of my hand a little. There's no way it will have a great effect on me, right?' She continues her work and tries to come up with a strategy to pull the plant out. In the end, her long nails - a part of her that she's still not used to having - help her pinch through the tenacious shaft and pull the nettles out by twisting them slightly. After storing them in her inventory, she heads back home and decides that she must invest in a small knife for harvesting herbs.

Poison is starting to affect her already. Her face feels like burning, especially her cheeks. Her breath feels heavy, and almost uncontrollable. Her nipples have hardened and push uncomfortably against her tight dress. And most importantly, she can feel a wet spot appearing on her panties. She has only gotten wet twice before; once when she touched herself a little, and then again when the spider raped her. What makes both of these cases similar was the stimulus to her genitals. There's nothing like that this time around, yet she still is getting wet and horny. She keeps cursing to herself in her mind, lamenting over the fact she just had to get startled by such a harmless little bug. Because of that little bastard, now she's getting horny, and while there are many things she can do to help it, she doesn't want it. She was supposed to go look for her friends, and now she's in this kind of condition? Because of some stupid herb? 'God fucking damn it, I hate this world', she tells herself.

Outside the apartment tree, she sees Pink waiting for her, and she's waving her hand happily. "Hey, Angel! Where were you?"

"I was collecting herbs…" Angel says, panting.

"Oh, you don't look so good. What's wrong?"

"I ended up getting poisoned…"

"That's not good", Pink says worryingly and approaches Angel to touch her.

"Please, Pink… Do not touch me right now…" Angel kindly asks. "My entire body feels very sensitive right now… It's almost feverish…"

"Oh man, this looks serious", Pink says, smiling anyway. "Yeah, that's not good at all. Looks like you can't come help us after all…"

"Yeah, I'm so fucking annoyed I can't go", Angel says and sighs. "Anyway, I have to go help Wendy."

Pink nods. "Maybe this is for the best anyway, as Wendy needs someone to look after her and help her."

"Yeah… Did you talk to her?"

Pink shakes her head. "I was planning on doing that, but I just got here."

"I'll go check on her", Angel says. "I need to brew us some calming tea to get rid of this heat…"

Pink nods and waves her hand as she walks away. "I'll come check on her later. Give her my regards."

…

Shortly after Angel left, Wendy's condition started to worsen again. Not only that, but she ended up becoming even more horny than she was before she masturbated. Like a boomerang, it just returns to her, no matter how much she tries to get rid of it. Left laying still, hornier than ever, Wendy waits patiently for her friend to get back with a relief. But Angel just simply didn't get back right away. The wait is unbearable and feels like time is running slow-motion for Wendy. She feels like she needs to do something about her heat, so still laying on the bed sideways, she reaches her hand to her panties, and gives herself a slight rub. Before she can even think about what she's doing, she's completely drawn in and unable to stop.

Masturbation has become something that she's not only familiar with, but also more or less addicted to. Ever since she first experienced what kind of feelings her body can produce, she has done it over and over again, on almost every night. It was sort of like a goodnight ritual to her. She was always content with her hands, but now, having felt a dick inside her, she feels like she can't just satisfy herself with her hand anymore. On top of that, her pussy feels like it has evolved into an eternal spring of pleasure. It doesn't matter how much she plays with herself, or how bad she tries to relieve herself of her tension. She will just become horny again. She just came less than an hour ago, and now she's doing it again. 'I want to cum so bad', she tells herself, biting her lower lip. Her body hungers for more, and it hungers for greater satisfaction. 'I can't help myself at all. I want to just cum over and over again, but my fingers don't even feel satisfying anymore. I can't believe I'm thinking about this, but I really should get myself some sort of sex toy. Maybe a dildo would satisfy me. Ah, now I really want one. I just want to stick a massive rubbery dildo deep into my pussy and just ram myself with it! I need something bigger!'

Wendy imagines a dick. Her hands can't simulate one, but she imagines one anyway. In her mind, she envisions a large cock digging into her. She tries to imagine it being a human, but her mind is drawn to the goblins. She doesn't want to remember their dicks, but she can't forget. It was their dicks that changed her and showed her greater pleasure. 'Even though it was so scary', she keeps telling herself, all while she finds herself unable to stop. 'Even though I hated it. How can my body yearn for it?'

Her heart jumps straight to her throat and all the movement stops as she hears the door open. She's laying on her side, back against the door, so whoever just entered must've not caught her masturbating, or so she hopes. She seriously hopes so. She stopped straight in her tracks, and she lays still, eyes open wide and heart beating like a war drum.

"Eh… I'm back…" Angel says, silently, as she looks at Wendy confused. Angel immediately realizes what's going on, and the thought makes her blush. 'Did I just catch her masturbating?'

Wendy turns around and nods, still laying still. "Welcome back…"

Angel thinks that it could be in her best interest to try and pretend she didn't see anything. "I couldn't find a potion, but I have a tea recipe that might help", she explains. "I just left the plants to dry in the sun. We can enjoy it later."

"How long will it exactly take?" Wendy asks.

"Maybe an hour…" Angel says.

'Yeah, there's no fucking way I can wait that long to calm down', Wendy thinks and sighs heavily.

"What's wrong?"

"I started feeling the heat again…"

"R-really? I see…"

"Just admit that you saw me masturbating…"

Angel does not dare to say a word, and her eyes are trying to avoid contacting Wendy. Blushing not only because of her own heat, but now also because of immense embarrassment, she decides to apologize. "I'm sorry I came without knocking first…"

Wendy sighs again. "I don't even care that you saw me… But what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're red like a tomato and acting a little strange."

"O-oh, that… I kind of got into an accident in the process of getting you herbs", Angel admits, and tries to smile. "I got poisoned by its aphrodisiac…"

Wendy thins her eyes, as a smug smile appears on her face. "Oh, really now? So, you're the same as me?" It even gives her an idea, but she's not sure if she wants to voice it. 'If we're both horny, wouldn't it make sense for us to try to treat ourselves together?' She thinks that there's no way Angel would agree to it, and she's not even sure if she wants it herself. They're friends, and she understands that, and that's not even the only issue for her. 'Now that I think about it, could she even properly satisfy me?' Wendy doesn't want to admit it, but what she wants right now is a dick. She can't believe it, but it's the truth. If she can't pleasure herself, can another girl do it? 'Well, it probably is not going to be as satisfying as a dick would be, but it's still better than doing it alone.'

"Yeah, I think we both need some time to ourselves while the leaves dry out, so… See you later." Then, Angel turns towards the door.

"Wait a minute", Wendy says, with a shaky voice. She watches Angel turn and their eyes meet. While she's scared of asking, she feels like she has to at least bring the topic up, even if it doesn't lead anywhere. "Don't you think it would be more effective to do it together?"

Angel doesn't even know how to answer. She just utterly can't believe what she just heard. 'Did Wendy just say she wants to have sex with me!?' "But we're friends…"

"Yeah, I think we really shouldn't do this either", Wendy says, raising her voice. "But I have no-one else to turn to. I can't satisfy myself alone. Masturbating just makes it worse. I need someone else to do it for me."

"I don't want to have sex with a kid…"

"I don't want to beg, but please…"

Angel turns unresponsive, but still can't run away, as it is too hard for her to back down from the situation. She wants to run away, but her feet are glued to the ground. She doesn't want to accept, but she doesn't want to reject Wendy's proposal either. She eyes down Wendy's immature figure. She's small and slim, and she's flat all-over. There is not an ounce of fat on her breasts, and her beet-red face is that of a little child as well. She can't deny that Wendy is cute and adorable, especially when she's blushing. Just thinking about Wendy's appearance positively is making her fall into just a deeper hole. It's clearly a female, but she's not into kids, so why does she find her to be somewhat attractive? 'No, I can't look at her in that way', she tells herself. 'She's my friend, for fucks sake!' Wendy means a lot to her as a longtime friend. She feels that trying to add something sexual to this relationship could damage it, and because of it, she can't bring herself to accept. Or can she? The fact that she's not running away is a proof of the fact that in her heart, she is thinking deep about it. Wendy isn't asking her to have sex because of love, or lust, but rather, because of necessity. You could even say that Wendy is sick, and sick people need to be tended to. It's just that in this case, her sickness comes in form of sexual excitement.

Thinking about the sickness instantly brings Angel's thoughts to herself. It's not just Wendy that is feeling sick, but Angel herself too. She can feel a strong, throbbing sensation emanating from deep inside her, and she feels hot. She wants to comfort herself too. She just wants to do it alone, but will it help? What if the situation is same for her as well? What if masturbating will make it just worse? Wendy was right to propose sex, and she knows it. Sex with another person really could be the rest way of getting rid of heat more effectively. Finally, Angel accepts the proposal with a deep sigh and a nod. "I have conditions", she says.

Wendy's all ears and willing to listen.

"We will only do it one time."

"Naturally…" Wendy says. She herself thinks that this might not be a onetime deal, as they could face similar problems in the future, but she decides to not bring it up. Now is not a time to worry about that.

"And you must also do it to me."

This one is a proposal that Wendy was not even thinking about herself. She was thinking only about herself and her own condition, but suddenly she realizes that Angel is in a similar state. Wendy doesn't really care at this point that the person doing her is a child but having someone else do it to her and having to be the one doing it to someone else are two completely different things. If they both were adults, there wouldn't probably be a problem, as they both are into adult women and neither of them find each other sexually desirable. Despite not wanting to have anything to do with it, Wendy agrees to this proposal as well. She can't start being unfair now. "Oh, what the hell, I'll do you as well…"

Angel is feeling a little hot and sweaty, and she begins to undress by pulling down the zipper behind her back. She stops, looking at Wendy, who is tugging tight to the bottom of her shirt. "Are you not going to get naked…?"

"Isn't taking off my panties enough…?" Wendy asks, meekly.

"That's not fair, since I have to take everything out…" Angel takes off her dress, exposing her naked upper body for Wendy to see. "Come on now, let's both get naked and do this properly."

Seeing that Angel truly is taking everything off - even her long socks - Wendy feels like she too must undress completely. She is wearing very little to begin with, so as soon as she gets to it, she's already basically done. She does take her time though, feeling embarrassed. Wendy looks like sitting up, when Angel suddenly climbs on the bed, on her fours on top of her. Instantly, Wendy halts, staying still like a statue as if trying to avoid any direct skin to skin contact. She looks at the sight of a little girl over her, and she can't take her eyes off her body. Her heart beats like crazy, and she looks down at her own body as well. She sees two children, so close to each other, herself and her friend, naked, daring not to touch each other or to move forward despite their full intentions to have sex. "How should we even go about this…?" she asks with a shaky, high-pitch voice.

"Now that I think of it, I've never even paid thought to how chicks do it together…" Angel admits.

"I mean, it can't be too hard…"

"Well, I mean… How do I fuck you without a dick…?" Angel asks, almost whispering.

Wendy's eyes twitch as a bright blush and an annoyed smile appear on her face. "Just fucking grow one then…" she says, jokingly.

Angel finds humor in Wendy's words and laughs uncomfortably. "I wish I could…"

'Yeah, me too', Wendy tells herself, repeating the words in her mind, because she's too ashamed of admitting to her friend that a penis is what she wants the most right now.

"Should we kiss…?"

"Kiss!?" Wendy says out loud. She doesn't want to kiss. Her lips are reserved to one person only, and that is her real-life lover in Hanako. Kissing is reserved for lovers in her opinion, and she doesn't consider Angel her lover, and never wants to. "Why should we kiss!?"

"I don't know! To ease ourselves into this!"

"I-I say we skip the formalities and just get straight into it!" Wendy states loudly, and immediately starts to think. Her brains try to process the information and try to come up with anything else. She instantly comes up with a better idea, one that she's familiar with already. "Turn around. Let's lick each other instead."

"Wait, straight to action!?"

"I don't care about foreplay! It's not like we're not lovers or anything!"

Angel feels the same way about not being lovers, but her approach is still different. She believes it would be the best for both of them to start with a foreplay and follow up from there organically instead of just jumping straight into the deep end. "Okay, fine…" she says, raising her body and readjusting her position. Turning around, her feet are still laying on Wendy's sides, but her butt is faced at her. She gets back to her fours and moves back. Their skin ends up rubbing against each other, as her feet tough Wendy's upper body. Very soon, Angel finds herself gazing down at little girl's genitals under her, and she realizes at this moment that her butt must be right in front of Wendy's face as well. Angel closes her eyes and leans forward as she tries to imagine herself doing this to someone else. She comes up with another name and tries to imagine a body more to her liking, as she proceeds to lower her face to the genitals in front of her. A sudden, warm breath touches her pussy, and just it alone feels tingly and amazing. She shakes, and she lets out a high, muffled buzz, which then turns into a moan, as she feels a tongue softly touch her slit. Her back arcs a little bit, and she moves her hips away in surprise, leaning forward. It was just one little touch with the tip of a tongue, and it alone made her crazy. She's panting heavily, and she now realizes just how potent the poison running through her veins is. 'How the hell am I ever supposed to be able to focus if I feel like this?' Two hands suddenly come from both sides of her hips, and they grab onto her butt, sinking into her firm, soft buttocks. They pull her back towards the girl who's she's basically sitting on top of and suddenly, tongue touches her even stronger. No longer able to just pull herself away, she feels the girl licking her relentlessly, as she herself just arcs her back even more, shaking and trying to hold back her moans. She looks down to see Wendy inviting her to do it as well. She's not saying anything, and instead, just uses her body motions to urge Angel forward. The little girl underneath her is spreading her legs, and Angel finally digs in. She can't be the only one on the receiving end. For this position to work, and for it to be fair, they both must give what they receive.

As Wendy works, she waits for Angel to respond with anything. She knows how to work pussy properly with just a tongue, and she's more than willing to show Angel her skills, but it's making her increasingly hornier. So horny in fact, that she's getting a little irritated. She was the one who was supposed to get eaten out, and now she's doing all the work? Just as she's thinking about saying something, she finally feels Angel arc back down, and instantly, just like that, put her mouth against her privates. Kissing, sucking and licking, Angel can't seem to be able to do just one thing and stick to it. It's almost as if she's not even sure how to go about this business. Yet, it still feels incredible to Wendy. Nymphs are very easy to please sexually. Their body will not ask for technique; simple stimulation is all it takes for them to go crazy. As far as Wendy's theory about needing someone else goes, she was right on the money. A tongue of another Nymph is nothing like her own hand. It's unpredictable to the point that even the smallest movements manage to catch her by a surprise, and that is all she could ever ask for. It's basically the different being tickled and trying to tickle yourself; you can't make yourself laugh. Of course, Wendy can make herself orgasm, but she feels already that the pleasure she's going to feel moving forward is going to rival what she felt at the hands of goblins. Of course, Nymph's tongue and hand work can never beat the sensations that penises can make Nymphs feel, but this is more than enough as a solid substitute. Wendy definitely thinks that this is going to be able to satisfy her.

It's not easy for Angel to focus on her work, especially since Wendy is grabbing tight on her ass, basically digging very deep without her being able to relieve the pressure. It makes it feel more amazing, but at a cost of her concentration. She also feels like she has to grab onto something, but what? Pressing backs of her hands against the sheets, she moves her hands under Wendy's legs, and basically hugs onto them in a way that Wendy can't close her legs anymore. Angel does something that Wendy hasn't done to her yet, and that is reach towards her pussy, which isn't a hard feat to accomplish. Her fingers press softly against the puffy, wet lips, opening them up so she can see all the inner parts hidden in between child's labia. Through her barely open eyes, she dares to take a good look as well, and finds her enchanted by the little hole. She can't resist her urge to stick a finger inside. So, that's exactly what she does. Instantly, she can feel the muffled moans of Wendy, and the tight hole twitch and tighten against her finger. Her mouth concentrates on the now exposed and little bit erect clit, which she bullies with her tongue. Wendy is sure to answer to fire with fire, and Angel too feels her bean being flickered intensely.

It's like a battle. They're dueling to get the other one to orgasm first, and they both feel like losing. To be honest, it's a battle that they both want to lose. Even though they're not able to communicate it aloud, their muffled moans and movements, and the way they just grab onto each other even tighter and more passionately mirrors the desire to cum. This desire is going to be fulfilled real soon and they both know it. By the actions of each other, they orgasm one after another; not at the same time, but still, on top of each other. Another one starts before the another one ends. First one to give in is Wendy, who had already warmed up before they started. Honestly, Angel was in a worse condition because of the poison, and thus wasn't far behind. As they orgasmed, they both began to slow down a little bit until they both, exhausted, stopped playing with each other together.

Angel rolls to the side and lies on her back for a moment. Wendy is having none of it. She's one to get on top of Angel this time and rolls even over so they can be face to face. Her eyes are crazed, and she's breathing heavily through her mouth, with a blush even brighter than before. She eyes down one of her very best friends, who she just had sex with. They did something they shouldn't have, and they loved it. They can still taste each other's liquids on top of their tongues and feel the warmth and wetness on their rosy red lips. Anyone who would see them would surely think they're going to kiss yet, as they both look like lusting for each other, but do they really dare? Wendy doesn't want to kiss, but when she watches at Angel's lips, how can she resist herself?

"I can't do it after all…" Wendy whispers. Even though she wants it, she can't bring herself to kiss someone else than her true lover. Even if she would do everything else, something at least needs to stay sacred.

Angel, who doesn't feel the same way at all, puts the other hand behind Wendy's back, and the other one against the back of her head, and leans upward for a kiss. Wendy resists, and in this brief moment of defiance, Angel stops the advance. It was only a matter of one little centimeter. Just slightly more, and their lips would've met. Angel respects Wendy's wish for now, and she speaks out instead. "If you can't do it… Then will you let me do it for you…?"

Angel's proposal is something that Wendy finds hard to resist because honestly, if Angel did kiss her, she knows that she wouldn't be able to hold herself back anymore. "If you kiss me, I will never be able to look at you in the same way again…"

"I think we're already past the point of no return, Wendy…"

'She's right', Wendy admits, not speaking the words out loud. She truly knows it, that they already are past that point. Even if they stopped now, she wouldn't be able to look at Angel just as a friend.

Before Angel gets a chance to voice her opinions, Angel voices hers. "You made me do this…"

Wendy feels the soft lips press against her mouth, tearing down all her walls of resistance, forcing her to surrender. She answers lovingly and passionately. She makes sure to apologize for Hanako for she has sinned and cheated on her and is going to be cheating a whole lot on her going forward. She's sure Hanako will understand given the circumstances.

Wendy, who has been able to satisfy herself with her hand before, who has never felt the need for any more than one round before, finds herself even hornier than before. She can't get Angel out of her mind, and Angel's the same. They're both in just as bad a state as they were before they started. Only thing that has changed is the fact that they don't really call it a bad state anymore. How could they when they're having so much fun? One of Angel's conditions was to do it only one time, but that's not a promise they're going to be able to keep. No, they're going to do it over and over again as many times as it takes. One time turns into one full night. It's barely midday, so they have a long day in front of them. They're happy to waste it away having sex.

Conclusion

Around the same time - or maybe couple of hours later - in the ruins where two Nymphs got lost, one of them finds herself coming back to her senses. Or is she really? Is she awake, or simply dreaming? Strangely enough, they do not feel anything. Restrains are gone, and the situation has calmed down. One of them snaps out of a dream quicker than the other one, but even while awake, she has no strength to open up her eyes. She can't tell if it's hot or cold. She feels dirty from the mucus, but the wind feels cool on her naked skin. If there is a wind, she must be outside. If she's outside, she must be free. And if she can appreciate this and visualize her salvation clearly in her mind, she must have recovered her sanity as well.

Have you ever been put to sleep before a surgery, or some other elective operation? The doctor asks you to slowly count to ten as he or she injects the medicine, and you will fall asleep before you get to the end. That is what it all ending felt like to her. She has no recollection of how it all went down, as everything just faded to black. The entire ordeal appears fuzzy in her mind. She can remember some scenes, almost like photo album opening before her mind's eye. Feelings she felt were so unbelievably intense and otherworldly that she can't bring herself to imagine being even close to those sensations. It's almost as if she was turned into someone else, or as if someone else took over her body. She was a slut for that brief chapter in her life; a total and complete slut to the whims of her squirmy tentacle master. How could that be? It's not who she is. She's not a submissive girl, and she's definitely not one that takes pleasure in being penetrated, not in real life at least. 'How could I act like that?' she asks herself in disbelief. Madness, that's what it was. Pure insanity. Just thinking about acting the way she did is making her sulk. Yet, for some reason, she can't bring herself to cry or be sad about it, at least for time being. She feels surprisingly very much okay, both physically and mentally. It brings her mind to more relevant questions: Where is she? Is she alone?

Her eyes open up ever so slightly and let in the light. Her vision is blurry, but she can clearly see trees overhead. She brings herself to move, which turns out to be surprisingly easy. She must have recovered during her comfortable sleep. She can see - and hear - a flickering warm light that is not coming down from the heavens. There is a campfire and sitting beside it on top of a stone pillar is a man. 'A man?', she asks herself in surprise. He's a man - a large man - with a rugged, light brown skin with a slight, greenish hue. He's tall and muscular like an Olympic powerlifter. He's a bald man, shirtless, and wearing black leather pants made from thick, scaly hide. He has a spear as a weapon, and this spear which is laying still on the ground must be at least as tall as he is. From behind, he sure looks like a human, but there's no way he could be. 'He must be a monster', she convinces herself. He's too big to be a goblin, and color doesn't match a demon either. He is something entirely different. He is cooking a meal, that's for sure. He's defenseless at this very moment, but his size suggests that she wouldn't be able to kill him even if she tried. He's way more menacing that the elite goblin ever was, and that alone was a foe that she and her friend had trouble with. She gets up slowly, as if looking to escape. As established before, she's not tied or restrained in any way. Why is this? If the monster has caught them, it would make sense for him to have done something to them. Yet, this doesn't seem to be the case at all.

Careful to not make a sound, she gets to her feet and prepares to open up her inventory to summon a weapon. As she does, the man turns around. Did he hear? He must possess incredible ears if he did, as she was making sure she would not make a slightest sound. This bald man looks like an ogre, a very handsome ogre. He looks like a mix of a goblin and a human. His eyes certainly are that of a human, and almost seem kind, even though his lips do not. It's very hard to say whenever he's angry or not. "Oh, you're finally awake", ogre says.

As he speaks, both Nymphs find themselves wide awake. They didn't even realize each other. They were saved together. Yes, they both independently come up with the same thought. It was this monster, this big burly man who saved them.

"Relax, will you?" ogre says. He shows no signs of hostility. In fact, he's not even looking at his weapon. "Want some jerky? It tastes awful but it's incredibly nutritious."

Rain and Lemon both look at each other, puzzled.

"Playing mute, eh?" ogre says and turns around. "Have it your way."

Rain leans in to whisper something to Lemon: "I don't think we can kill it…"

"More importantly, are you okay…?" Lemon asks, worried.

Rain nods. "But that's not the problem… That big guy means trouble…"

"I think so too… He seems harmless, but he's a monster… They can't be trusted…"

"Do you think we could escape…?"

"Look at him… There's no way we can escape…"

"You know", ogre says, interrupting the conversation. "I can hear every word. Besides, didn't I tell you girls to relax?"

"What do you want from us?" Rain suddenly asks.

Ogre, mouth full of meat, answers: "I saved you two, you know."

"Why though?"

"What do you mean why? They were raping you."

Rain lowers her eyebrows, and a bright blush appears on her uncomfortable, otherwise expressionless face. "Well, yes… But why did YOU want to save us…?"

"That's a weird way to say 'thank you', little miss", ogre says, sounding a little annoyed, and turns towards the two little naked girls, who are not even trying to cover up, strangely enough.

Rain lowers her face and musters up strength to thank the monster. She doesn't want to do so, as she still sees this ogre as an enemy, but there's just no way she wouldn't thank him after being saved. "Thank you for saving us…"

"I…" Lemon begins, also appearing a little shy. "I must thank you as well… Who knows what would've happened to us."

Ogre nods, smiling, and offers his giant hand. To say it's a giant is an understatement. He could probably crush a coconut with it. "My name is Ron. How about you two kids?"

One after another, Rain and Lemon simply introduce themselves saying nothing but their names.

"I've seen some girls like you in these parts of the forest", Ron says. "Not too many though. They have seen me too and seemed pretty scared of me. I've tried avoiding them, and they have tried avoiding me. I have kind of wanted to talk to some, as there aren't any people to talk to here."

"What about the demon?" Lemon asks.

"Oh, I killed the demon. And I must say, I never thought I would find you getting raped. That must've been an horrifying experience."

"Hold on a minute", Lemon says. Meanwhile, Rain is looking through her inventory to summon herself spare clothes and her old hoodie to get something to wear. "We have been told that in this game every single monster is out there to rape us Nymphs."

"Oh, that would explain few things", Ron says, looking really surprised. "Like why you kids always seem to run away from me. So, you're called Nymphs, huh?"

"Excuse me for asking", Rain says, as she pulls up the zipper to cover up her naked chest. She's already wearing her panties. "But I couldn't help but to notice that you talk like you're a player."

"Yeah, I'm a player", Ron says, nodding. "I kind of suspected you were too."

"I thought that in this game only Nymphs are playable characters."

"I have never heard of any Nymphs", Ron says, looking even more surprised. "I thought this game was some kind of survival RPG."

"Well, we must be playing a completely different game in the same universe then…" Rain says, deep in thought. She hasn't heard of anything like this from the other Nymphs yet. 'Playable monsters? How many are there, and are all of them our allies?' She looks at Ron with extreme skepticism. If he's a player, just like Nymphs, he should in theory be an ally, since he shares the same fate as Nymphs. But it cannot be ignored that he's also a monster. Monsters are driven by their lust towards source. Ron could be the same, or at least turn out to be like that in the future, should he not be able to contain his lust anymore. For now, he seems very relaxed, and almost as if incapable of seeing the two Nymphs in a sexual light. 'Well, it's a good thing he's not a pedo', Rain thinks to herself.

"So, this means, that you're stuck here as well?" Lemon asks.

"Yeah", Ron says nodding once. "You too, I guess. And I've been alone all this time, looking and searching all this time for clues. I've made my camp close to these ruins because this place seems to be pretty abundant with food and treasures. But enough of me, tell me about you Nymphs."

"Not sure what there is to tell…" Rain says, scratching her cheek. "As you can see, we're little girls."

"Yeah, I can see that…" Ron says with thin, jaded eyes. "No need to point out the obvious."

"We live in this forest inside a protective barrier to the south from here. There's like, maybe two to three thousand of us…" Rain explains. "Since you clearly aren't a Nymph, you also probably don't know anything about this game being called Nymphsaga."

"Yeah, never heard."

"How about Mormia?"

"Oh, loved that game."

Rain finds the idea of someone who loves Mormia not knowing about Nymphsaga to be unbelievable, especially since they are in that very game. She independently comes to the same exact conclusion that Dana did earlier in the story; someone must've altered their memories. Rain doesn't even know how to continue the discussion from here, so she decides to ask Ron a new question, one that is perhaps even more important. "So, do you know about source?"

"Nope."

"Apparently it's something us Nymphs produce. According to the lore we were created by some aliens to be - "

"Stop", Lemon says, interrupting Rain on the tracks. "Do you honestly think it's a good idea to tell HIM?"

"I don't think it makes a bit of difference", Rain says.

"I do not feel comfortable about talking about that subject with a monster…" Lemon says, glaring at Ron.

"I would appreciate if you didn't treat me like a monster…" Ron says, looking a little saddened by Lemon's words and worry.

"Yeah, I mean, he did save us…" Rain says.

Lemon sighs deeply. "Okay… I'm sorry…"

"As I was saying", Rain says, coughing into her fist, "We were created by aliens to be sex toys, and this source is some kind of super addictive substance that those aliens depend on, or something, so this entire world wants to fuck us."

Ron looks like he doesn't believe a word Rain just said. All three sit still in absolute silence, with Lemon being the only one to actually do something. She's now conjuring up some clothes to wear. "I'll make this clear once and for all", Ron begins, with a dead serious expression. "I vow to never ever rape any Nymphs. Children are not supposed to have sex."

"That's a very small reassurance considering that the rest of the world wants to rape us…" Rain says, shrugging. "Glad to have you as an ally nonetheless…"

"So that's why the tentacles were raping you as well, huh…?" Ron says.

"Don't… Remind me…" Rain says, meekly.

"It also explains why you were a little worried about telling me…" Ron says, turning towards Lemon, who just conjured herself a pretty, creamy white plain summer dress. "You really must see me as a monster…"

"Well, yeah… I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just that given what I know about source and how it effects living creatures, I'm worried it could affect you too."

"If it ever starts affecting me, I'll do my absolute best to fight the desire", Ron says, hand on his heart.

Rain and Lemon look around them. Judging by the position of the sun, it's already way past the noon. They're still inside the ruins, but they have found themselves a comfortable corner to rest in. "How long have we been out of it?" Rain asks.

"You slept for maybe ten hours. I rescued you around the sunrise, so… It's been a long day looking over you two."

Lemon walks up to Ron, seeming a little shy. "I feel like you've already done so much for us, but… I would like to ask you to help us get home."

Ron nods, smiling. "Sure. I'll help."

"Do you need anything in return?" Rain asks.

"Honestly, I don't think there's much you can offer me…" Ron says, with a hand on his jaw. "No, actually, there is something that I want that you have, and that is information. I'm looking to learn about this world as much as possible. I have a feeling that you know a lot more about this world than I do, especially if there are thousands of you Nymphs."

"That's an easy request to fulfil", Rain says and gives Ron her tiny hand. "It's a deal then."

Ron offers Rain his hand, but it's way too big for Rain to actually hold it properly, so Rain just ends up shaking his index finger, a sight that causes Ron to laugh. "It's a deal then."

"Also, I demand that you become my friend", Rain says.

"There you go again", Lemon says, giggling.

"Alright, I'll be your friend", says Ron, laughing again. "But are you sure you don't want to eat?"

"Dude, meat is fucking disgusting", Rain says. "How can anyone eat that shit?"

"Oh, so you're one of those people…" Ron says, looking a little nervous.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rain asks, with an annoyed tone.

"N-nothing…" Ron answers, a little embarrassed. Getting to an argument with a vegan is not something he wants, so he decides to back down from his comment and let it be.

"I wouldn't mind a bite…" Lemon whispers. Ron gives her a tiny skewer, and she bites into it. Turns out, it tastes absolutely disgusting and nauseating to her, and she spits most of it out. "Oh my god, it tastes horrible…"

"Told you", Rain says, crossing her arms. "Just stick to plants."

"I suppose I must…" Lemon says nodding. "So, Nymphs really CAN'T eat meat, huh…? That's a shame… I like meat…"

"Funnily enough, I can't eat anything other than meat", Ron says. "If I try to eat fruits, I react the same way you do."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this, but for once I'm glad to be a Nymph…" Rain says.

"How about your physical condition though?" Ron asks. "Are you sure you're able to walk?"

Rain and Lemon look at each other. They both are going through the same thing. They might've felt fine laying down, and they might've regained most of their stamina, but there is a new blight slowing them down considerably, and that is abnormal, demonic pregnancy. It is honestly something they didn't even think about up until now, but now realize that it really happened to them. They can feel no movement, but even standing up and changing clothes, their bodies do feel a little heavy, and they can tell that there's something inside them. Besides, they suspect - just like Wendy suspected - that their bodies will go into heat as a result. They feel sensitive all over.

Rain is the first one to talk: "Walking is fine, but don't expect us to run or fight."

"Well, I can probably fight if required…" Lemon says, putting great emphasis on the word probably. "Otherwise, I'm the same as Rain."

"Well, that's more than enough", Ron says. "I'll defend you girls."

…

None of the three adventurers recognize the part of the ruins they are in. They're still on the lower floors, as evident by the tunnels and corridors. Of course, there are no roofs in some places, which is why the light can get in. Having talked with Ron for a while now, Rain's and Lemon's attention is drawn back to themselves. They both have a lot to think about, both in regard to their own wellbeing as well as each other's. Same questions puzzle both of them. Yet, they are unable to voice those questions. Walking a safe distance away from Ron behind him, they both look at each other, silently.

It has to be pointed out that Rain is not a philosophically minded person, nor is she scientifically literate or religious, and she sure as hell does not have any kind of political bias regarding any of this, so she does not know how much of her behavior is due to her lived experiences as a male, and how much it is due to her current biology as a female. That being said, she is trying hard to analyze and rationalize what happened to her during her ordeal. She has always thought that she, as a person, is the person she is in the real life, regardless of her current physical appearance, or regardless of any of her possible physical appearances across all the different games and platforms she has been a part of. The person inside her body has always been the same person, kind of like a soul, so to say. In her eyes, it is her soul that carries her personality, her likes and dislikes, all her personal preferences and more importantly, her memories and her ego. This is the person she considers to be "me". Why does she believe this? Well, no reason really, just her personal feelings. Like said before, it's not something she has thought a lot about. But now, for the first time in her life she is asking these questions and challenging this personal view of hers. She finds herself challenged to the core, because the person she was during the tentacle rape was not the person she considers to be herself. 'No, that's not accurate either', she tells herself. How she acted when the traps caught her - how she was angry at what was going on - was in line of her real personality. Even when she got caught with Lemon the second time, she still was someone she could recognize as herself. From that point on, it was going straight downhill. The physical sensations she felt shattered her heart and her brains, along with her ego, completely destroying the person she was. What caused this? Was it really the physical stress? She wouldn't go as far as saying that the mind is completely separate from the body, but she finds herself asking, how big a role exactly does biology, which in this case is her new female body, play in her behavior? Has it caused her personality to change, and how much has it changed really? Is it going to change more as she continues to experience new things in her new, hypersensitive body? As far as her ego goes, could she even become someone else entirely? She does not know the answer to any of these questions.

'But I have never been raped before', she suddenly tells herself. 'Maybe that was me, and how I would act if it happened to me in real life as well.' It's not something she believes, but it's a possibility that comes to her mind. 'Oh, and wasn't there something else as well?' It didn't even cross her mind, but after she was raped by the trap together with Lemon, she was injected by something. It was a condition called Demonic Miasma, and she remembers clearly it having an effect on her and Lemon. "Hey…" she suddenly whispers.

Lemon is slow to answer, as she seems almost as if she was surprised by Rain talking. "What's up?"

"Is the miasma gone?"

Lemon nods, answering quickly this time. "I confirmed that earlier. Are you worried about that?"

"Yeah, I mean… I was kind of thinking that maybe this world is changing me…"

"I was thinking about that too", Lemon admits. "Not drastically, but… I guess it could be more dramatic for you…" She started out the sentence as some sort of statement, but towards the end, she kind of meant it as a question.

Rain is ashamed of admitting it, but what other choice does she have? She nods deeply. "You and Pink both thought I was a girl, so… I was actually thinking that maybe this world has made me act girly…"

"If I were you, I wouldn't be worried about opinions of two people…" Lemon says, trying to smile. "It was just a hunch I had…"

"That hunch had to be rooted on something", Rain says, arms crossed. "What is it about me? Is it the way I talk?"

Lemon shakes her head. "It's more like, how you move, how you express yourself, and stuff…"

"That could be even worse then…" Rain whispers, looking a little worried. She certainly does feel like the way she thinks hasn't changed, and her preferences certainly haven't changed, but if the change is rooted to her behavior - if it's subconscious - it has pretty much already happened to her. 'That is, if I'm going by Lemon's opinion', Rain reminds herself. 'I need to ask Angel and Wendy as well.' "How do you feel changed then?"

"You should know…" Lemon says, blushing. "How that hell made us act…"

"Oh, right…" Rain says, embarrassed.

"I mean, maybe our bodies and biology played a huge role in it, but I think it was because of that miasma thing…" Lemon suspects. "Status effects can alter anything, after all. Maybe that one was something that can alter our minds. Maybe the demon even possessed mind control abilities."

"That's an interesting theory…"

"I would call it a hypothesis…" Lemon says, correcting her friend.

Rain tilts her head. "I'm sorry, I don't even understand the difference…"

Lemon shrugs, smiling. "I guess it doesn't matter."

"I kind of hope that is the case… Since I don't really like the idea of my personality changing…"

"Honestly, idea of mind control sounds worse to me…" Lemon says, looking a little scared.

Rain envisions a monster mind controlling her and forcing her to do whatever without her being able to do anything, a situation that feels even more unfair and horrifying than the idea of getting caught in a trap. "Okay, you're actually right. That is WAY worse."

"Are you afraid of acting like a girl?"

"Well, I mean…" Rain doesn't want to outright say it, because it's not an entirely accurate statement. She's not even sure if there is that much of a difference to acting like a boy versus acting like a girl. If there's one person that should know it's her, but still, she doesn't know. "Okay, maybe part of me is…"

"How about the other part?"

"Oh, the other part of me couldn't give a shit. I'm still me." Then, she falls silent. "It's just that… There's kind of the problem… If I become someone else entirely, can I even call myself the same person anymore…?"

"Oh, I kind of see where you're coming from…" Lemon says, nodding. "I guess that could be happening to me as well. I'm not sure, since I'm kind of the same here and in real life…"

"Stop right where you are!" Ron suddenly yells, and just like that, the two girls freeze. "And take few steps back before you walk into a trap."

Rain and Lemon take few steps back and realize that in the midst of their discussion they didn't see Ron taking a turn to the left instead of walking straight. "O-oh, are there traps there…?" Lemon asks.

"Yeah", Ron says, nodding. "Just stay focused, alright?"

"Have you been listening to us?" Rain suddenly asks.

"Well, I could hear you talk, but it sounded personal, so I tried ignoring you."

Rain sighs. She didn't get the answer to her question. Then again, she's not sure if she even cares.

"Oh, you can tell where the traps are?" Lemon asks.

"Yeah. I've had this power called 'Scouting' since the beginning", Ron explains.

"Oh, it could be the same as Wendy's profession", Lemon realizes, sounding surprised. "For us that is a chosen ability."

"I didn't have a choice", Ron says, shrugging. "Whatever, I think it's useful."

…

Like said before, Ruins are still relatively unknown to Ron, so he ends up getting lost a little bit underground. There aren't many stairs that connect upstairs to downstairs, and since they're not exiting through the same hole that he entered, they're venturing into unknown territories. They actually find themselves entering a place guarded by tentacle demons. They're not a problem to Ron, as tentacles can't restrict him. Even when they grab him, he can just rip them apart with his muscles, a feat that is nothing but an impossible dream to a Nymph. Behind the thick wall of tentacles is a room with another colossal blob of fleshy tentacle mass, which acts as a corrupting heart. "I thought there were just one of these…" Ron says, taking few steps back from it. "Even though it's a boss… There are more of them?"

"How bad is it?"

"It's only ranked with one X, but it's still not an enemy I'm excited about attacking", Ron says. "I can handle most elites because I'm strong, but bosses? Hell no."

"Well, you should have an advantage against tentacle monster, considering you can rip those tentacles apart and all", Rain says. "I know because I use melee weapons as well."

"Oh, trust me. These ones I can't just rip off. I have to rely on my spear and my speed."

"It's fine", Lemon says. "Let's go some other route."

Wrinkles suddenly appear on Ron's forehead and he looks almost as if focusing. "No…" he says with a low, angry voice. "I can hear someone… This bastard has a victim as well… We can't leave her here…"

"I do feel bad for her", Rain begins, "But it is really worth risking your life to save someone else…?"

"I'm not worried about dying", Ron says, taking an offensive stance. At the same time, Rain and Lemon decide to back down a little bit. "I'm just don't want to get hurt. That's all." Then, he attacks. He immediately pierces the unmoving body from the distance. Monster can't defend itself, so it should in theory be easy to kill. The problem is, it has amazing regenerative powers and truckloads of health. It's also why it's so resistant to magic. You can't have enemies in game that can just be killed from the distance without them being able to defend themselves. It would be just insane, especially in terms of boss fights. Besides, this one can summon minions, a feature very typical to stationary enemies ranked elite or higher. Rain and Lemon kind of suspected this as well, and that's why they got away. Now, hiding, they watch the fight from the shadows, hoping that the minions don't find and rape them.

The main body of the boss is a very easy target for Ron, as are the big tentacles. He said can't rip them off, but in reality, he can handle one or two. They usually attack in numbers, so he has to back down a lot. Small and quick minions are a bigger problem for him, as they tend to get very close to him. Spear is not a melee weapon that can be used effectively to attack enemies close to you, so Ron has to rely on his fists and kicks against the smaller minions. While these jumping little tentacle balls - looking like octopi on land - would probably look to latch to Nymphs to rape them, against Ron they are going in for a kill. They're just as effective at doing this as they are at raping, which kind of horrifies Rain and Lemon. After all, what if these tentacles wanted to kill them? They would bite their heads off clean just as easily as they can insert into them. Of course, that's not something that can happen in this game, but their gaping, hellish mouths are not a pretty sight. Then again, seeing Ron fight seems just as terrifying to these two small and powerless children. He's amazingly strong to take on a raid boss by himself. They have no way of confirming it for themselves, but he could actually be on a similar scale himself. He's twice as tall compared to a Nymph and with all his lean and heavy muscle, he weighs at least ten times more. Should he turn on Nymphs, he would probably be an encounter rivaling raid bosses as well. No, he would in a way probably be even worse, as you can't use conventional raid tactics in a player versus player situations. In any case, they can't believe how glad they are to have him on their side even if just momentarily.

Fight is very long and hard and ends up in Ron's favor. He survived but is left out of breath. Despite his physical prowess, even his body won't take everything and will run out of fuel at one point. As Ron falls to rest on his knees, Rain and Lemon get out from hiding and approach the now released Nymph. She is already unconscious when they get to her. They can't wake her up, but she's clearly alive. Seeing her condition makes them realize that they must've been like this as well when they got saved, and just like them, this Nymph is going to stay fainted for a long time. She is an average sized Nymph with cute, wide hips and the tiniest pair of budding breasts one could have. Her skin is pale in complexion and her long, straight hair is white like snow. She looks fully human, but as they can't see her eyes, which are closed, they can't say for sure.

"I think she's going to be okay…" Lemon says and lets out a sigh of relief.

"Looks like I have one more kid to save", Ron says and kneels next to her. "We can't wait for her to recover though. I'm going to carry her."

"Is that fine?" Lemon asks. "We could be attacked."

"I doubt anyone would attack me willingly", Ron says and laughs. "Enemies outside are nothing but small fries and if needed I can kill them with my kicks alone."

Shrugging, Lemon answers by simply saying: "If you say so."

Rain, meanwhile, is looking at the loot. She actually is picking something up, as Ron comes in between and grabs Rain into his hand. Grabbing her body like a toy, Ron raises her to air, and she looks at the ogre with a with thin, murderous eyes. "Dude, I was just checking out loot."

"It's not nice to ninja loot", Ron says and let's Rain down. "Oh, I guess you wanted to take that skirt."

"Well duh. It's not like you're going to use it."

"If you ask nicely, I'll give it to you."

"I'll suck your dick if you do."

Ron backs down, looking a little uncomfortable. "I hope that was a joke."

Rain crosses her arms and blushes. "Well, obviously…" she whispers. "So, um… Can I have it…?"

"Of course, you can. Take it."

Rain is now a lucky recipient of two uncommon items on this journey. The skirt is about as good as the hoodie she found earlier and boasts stats that are useful to her. While the skirt looks nice in her opinion, she feels like such a long skirt with colorful patterns wouldn't fit her. She's going to have to convert its appearance once she's home.

"In fact, you can take everything as far as I care. You've gone through a lot, so it's only fair you take some good memories from this trip with you."

There is also a pair of rare earrings which add stealth and surprise damage multipliers, so they're extremely good for Lemon. The other stat is not useful for her, but she doesn't care. There are also five pieces of common ingredients, two pieces of uncommon ingredients, and also one high tier piece of ingredient, which seems to be useful for enchanting. Obviously, Rain takes it. Lemon takes rest of the ingredients, as she already knows what to do with most of them.

Then, starts a much longer journey. They get out from the ruins and instantly find themselves in the dense forest. Ron knows how to get up. It's a long road to the place where there are no cliffs, which proves Rain's and Lemon's theory from earlier about the other way being a better choice. Well, you don't always get heads on a coin flip. Not much you can do about it anymore. They're just happy to get home. Now, out from the Hammercliff Valley, there is nothing but walking in front of them. Nothing can surprise then anymore, and they're sure of it. As they walk, Ron makes sure to tell Nymphs the location of his camp to Nymphs. It is located close to the border of Hammercliff Valley in Misty Forest's side near a cliff in a rocky cave. The map of Ron can actually be shared to Nymphs in the same way Nymphs can share information themselves. Rain and Lemon of course mark the location to their maps, as they believe it's in their best interest.

During the trip, three talk a lot, exchanging a lot of information. Ron doesn't have much to offer to Nymphs, because he works alone, but that doesn't matter. Nymphs are more than happy to share the lore they know about to Ron, especially since they promised to do so. I won't go through the lore they tell Ron, as all that information is something that has already been discussed in previous parts of the story. They also talk a lot about themselves and what kind of people they are in real life. They all find themselves fascinated by how different people they are and how different their circumstances are. We already know a lot about Rain, but what about Lemon?

According to her, she's pretty much a splitting image of her real self as her character looks exactly like she looked when she was about eight or nine years old. She's born in Bangladesh but moved to Denver, Colorado when she was just six years old. Now, she's 28, and is studying medicine while also working as an assistant doctor. She really loves medicine and helping others, which is also evident by her in-game profession.

Ron is the oldest of the bunch, and probably the most colorful personality. He's almost sixty and is a retired ex-military veteran, born in El Salvador. Apparently, he was forced to retire after having his leg blown off, which is why he finds a lot of pleasure in virtual reality gaming. It's the only way for him to live a somewhat active life, even though it all might just be escapism from the reality. He was never depressed about having his life changed drastically, since he has a loving family with four children, and even two grandchildren already. Speaking of which, he lives currently in USA as an immigrant, just like Lemon does. He lives in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Time flies by, and they safely return to Grove. Only thing that lies between them and their home is the barrier. Rain and Lemon can't put it into words just how happy they are to be back. They have tried being carefree and cheerful despite their horrible experiences - mostly because it's hard for them to even process what truly happened - but now, they can't help but to tear up a little bit. At the same time, Ron tries touching the barrier. Not only is it something that he can't penetrate - as expected - but it also deals some damage to him in form of an electric shock. Simultaneously, it also felt burning hot, and solid like a wall of steel. It truly proves itself to be something that monsters can't cross.

"Well, this is as far as I go", Ron says, finally letting the third, nameless Nymph down. Rain and Lemon take her, keeping her up on their shoulders. Together, they barely have the strength to carry her, but it's not going to be easy, considering their physical condition, which has worsened considerably since they left the ruins, just as they feared.

"Thank you so much for saving us", Lemon says. "I would hug you, but I don't want to drop this poor girl…"

"I don't need a hug…" Ron says, blushing.

Rain opens her mouth and begins to speak: "Like I promised, I will totally suck your - "

"No, you won't", Ron says, interrupting Rain. "Don't even joke about such vulgar things."

"Yeah, yeah", Rain says and for the first time since they met, she shows Ron her smiling face. "Thank you."

"Oh, so you can smile after all", Ron says and laughs. "Come visit me. You're most likely to find me there during sunset." Then, he walks away, with a kind wave of a hand.

Lemon sighs, and takes the first step forward, along with Rain. Then another step, and a third. Just like that, they walk through the barrier inside the safety of Grove. After few more steps, they both find themselves collapsing down to their knees. They can't believe that they are safe. How unlikely it was for them to be rescued by an ogre of all things? Had it not been for him, they would likely still be out there, getting raped endlessly. A long road lies behind them. Getting home shouldn't take a lot of time. Yet, they can't move anymore. "I feel like fainting right now…" Lemon says.

"Me too… I want to lay down so bad…"

"Not only that, we have to drag this poor girl…" Lemon says, still clinging onto the unconscious little girl. "I wonder if anyone will help us…"

Rain forces herself to her feet and breathes in deep. She lets out as loud a shout as she can. "Help!" she screams. "Anyone! We need help!" And just like that, she falls back to her knees. "God damn it, I feel so weak…" she says. "It's a wonder we even could walk all that time…"

"To be fair, Ron slowed down a whole lot for us…" Lemon says. "Besides, I think that carrying this girl took some energy as well…"

"That just makes me feel even worse…" Rain admits. "We took like what, ten steps?"

Lemon nods, and tries to smile. "We really, REALLY need to get some rest."

"Should I shout again…?" Rain asks.

Lemon shakes her head, and this time she's the one to shout for help. Nobody is coming though. They're still far away from where the people live, so it's only expected. Then, they start to move again. This time, they get a little bit farther than the last time, mostly because they force themselves. Again, they yell for help. Both of them. After a while, they finally hear an answer. Someone is looking for them, asking, "Where are you?" They do not have the strength to stand up or shout anymore, so they just wait. After a short while, six Nymphs rush to them. They do not recognize any of them, but still, they're so happy to see some kind faces of Nymphs that they instantly feel like bursting to tears. Nymphs come to them, asking if they are fine and what happened. Lemon tells exactly what happened, about the ruins, about their terrible experiences and their miraculous escape. Nymphs immediately realize what's up. They offer potions, and they offer their shoulders for Rain and Lemon to lean on. They also offer to carry the third, unnamed Nymph.

Just fifteen minutes later, this group of adventurers who were just about to head to their own adventures have led them to Lemon's home. First one to lay down on the child-sized bed is the unconscious one. There's not much room for Rain and Lemon left, but that's not a problem. They both pitch some of their gold coins for an upgrade; a king-sized upgrade, to be exact. Bed instantly becomes larger. A fluffy, super deluxe double bed is enough for two adults now and should be more than enough for three Nymphs. Quickly, they get out from their clothes, and lie down, sinking into the comfortable sheets. Unmoving, they feel like their bodies weigh a ton, and they can't get up anymore. Not for a long time.

…

In dead silence, they both lie down unmoving, both of them thinking that the other one is asleep. Neither of them are in reality. Their horniness is making sure they won't sleep. Laying down, they also realize something. They are feeling turbulence from the last time. Their bodies just won't forget. When they close their eyes and remember the scenes, and they simultaneously feel their bodies rock and their groins ache, it's almost as if they're still out there. Well, not really, but their memories haven't left that place. Amongst those memories are the ones from the times when they touched each other.

It's those memories that suddenly are on top of every other one of the ones Rain remembers, for the reason that those are actually memories she treasures in her mind. Yet, at the same time, she finds them to be somewhat sad memories at the same time. She can remember the images of Lemon in her mind. She can remember her touch, her warmth, even her taste, but while she can remember doing it, she does not remember what was going through her head at the time. It's almost as if nothing was going on in her head at the time, which she finds very scary.

Rain finds Lemon cute. She finds her extremely sexy. She doesn't want to say exotic because her race is not why she find Lemon attractive. Race means nothing to her as long as the face looks kissable and the body fuckable. To her, Lemon ranks high in both categories. Yet, even the word "exotic" is one that she would use to describe this brown-skinned Asian cutie. In light of all of that, Rain also realizes something really reassuring about herself, which is something that she didn't take into consideration earlier. Even though she may have changed as far as her behavior goes, her sexual preference has not changed. She's still the same loli loving pervert. She still finds little girls to be just as sexy as she did before, and because of this, just like the last time she shared a bed with a little girl, she finds herself wanting to pounce on the kid next to her and just push her down and eat her out. Is it her pedophilic lust for preteen girls? Yes, and she's not even ashamed of admitting it to herself anymore, because she knows it's alright. She's not some kind of monster. No, not at all. She just wants some love. That's all.

Rain finally turns around, only to see Lemon already turned towards her, with a smile and a blush on her face. She is also blushing herself, and quite lustfully so.

"Can't sleep, honey?" Lemon whispers, smiling.

Being called with a nice name makes Rain's heart flutter, and she just can't resist a smile. She simply nods.

"It's almost as if the instant I got to relax, my body got injected with a shot of caffeine…" Lemon says and giggles.

"Me too", Rain says. "I was also thinking a lot about what we did to each other while we were… You know…"

"Yeah…" Lemon says with an understanding tone and a mischievous smile. "Me too…"

"I was thinking about how sad it was to do it in such circumstances…" Rain says, and crawls slowly, shyly, a little bit closer.

"I think I know what you mean…" Lemon says. "Well, we can just say that it didn't count, as there were tentacles involved."

Rain nods again. She agrees wholeheartedly.

"Besides…" Lemon continues, "I do remember making a promise to you about telling how exactly I feel…" With that she suddenly gets on top of Rain, who gasps in surprise. Rain was on the brink of pouncing on Lemon herself, but she never in her wildest dreams expected Lemon to be the one to make the first advance. "I've been secretly wanting to do this for a long time…!" As she finishes her sentence, she pushes her lips against Rain's lips. Rain is surprised for only a moment, as she wants to hug Lemon. She doesn't even care about rolling over and taking back the control even though she prefers to be a top. Lemon is also a top, or so it looks like. Rain has always found girls who act submissive to be the sexiest little things in the world, but at this moment she's happy to throw that preference of her straight into the dustbin. After all, little girls who push themselves on her are a close second as far as the sexiest little things in the world go. Besides, she finds the idea of top tops "competing" for dominance in a sexual play to be an incredibly sexy idea. Or does she really? Last time she mourned the lack of a dick. That has changed since the last time she shared a bed with a girl. She now feels glad to throw away her manhood and be a Nymph if that means she gets to have sex with little girls.

Lemon stops, and lustfully smiling, breathing heavily straight into Rain's face, licks her lips. "Oh baby, I've wanted this so long…!"

Rain's gaping mouth closes slightly as she rolls her tongue back in. "So, is that how you feel…?"

Lemon nods gleefully. "I wanna do you so bad…!"

'Seriously?' Rain asks herself, a little dumbfounded. Her heart was already pounding like crazy, but now it feels like exploding. Memories of Lemon getting intimate with her in the ruins come to her mind. Based on their discussion on the ruins earlier, she already predicted that Lemon has hots for her, but she never expected her lovesickness to be this severe. Or is it lust? She wants to find out. "Since when…?"

"Since I met you… I knew instantly that there's something special about you…" As Lemon says that, she grabs into Rain's butt, tightly squeezing on it. "I always find myself going crazy around other girls, and I kind of have a wild imagination… I like to fantasize about all kinds of lesbian plays, fantasize girls around me doing all kinds of crazy stuff to each other behind closed doors, and fantasize myself doing all that stuff to them too…" Rain knows what Lemon means. She has these "Yuri goggles" she can't take off. Rain suspects that Lemon has a different word for it, as she does not suspect her of being an otaku, but in principle it's the same thing whatever you want to call it. "You're a girl I definitely want to have for myself, even in my fantasies…"

"Is that a confession…?" Rain asks.

"Well, kind of… But not really… I don't want to settle down, and I wouldn't want to ask that of you either…"

"Well, I'm happy to accept your terms…" Rain says, smiling like she had a rock lifted from her shoulders. She doesn't care about settling down either. How could she? There are just way too many girls she wants to fuck.

Lemon moves her face down and lays her tongue on the little, erect nipple in the middle of Rain's other breast, something that makes the little girl's back arc in pure pleasure. She's so sensitive that even a lick to her nipples feels orgasmic. "I just want to make you part of my little harem… My first addition to the wide list of all the cute girls I have had sex with…"

'Oh, God', Rain thinks to herself, gulping once. 'She's basically the same as me. I thought this game would be a hell, but… As far as girls go, this place is a heaven.' "Looks like our interests align…" she says and can't help but to smile.

"Rain, my love…! My darling…! I'll make you my first conquest…!"

Rain giggles, happily. "Speaking of conquests, I'm already ahead of you… I fucked Pink… Jealous…?"

Lemon breathes in deep, with an absolutely insane look in her eyes. "Oh, yes…! I am jealous of you…! But I don't care…! I want you either way…!" Then, she moves back down on Rain. Like possessed, she just wants to embrace the little girl underneath her, feel her warmth and softness with her body, and touch her all over. Above everything else, she just wants to eat out those soft, rosy lips of Rain. She wants to lick and stick her tongue deep. She wants to exchange saliva and taste just how sweet it is. They both know that it does have a sweet taste to it. And Rain, she's more than happy to give Lemon everything she wants, and then some. She pushes upwards and embraces the girl laying on top of her. She spreads her legs to let her even deeper into her embrace, and she lays her hand on the soft, firm and sporty buttocks. Her hard squeeze causes Lemon's back to arc as every single one of her ten long nails press against the butt. Lemon lets out a loud, erotic moan, and she looks absolutely delighted. As she gets up, she looks down, and a thought crosses her mind as she sees how close their genitals are together. In a missionary position, frontmost parts of their genitals are already touching. It's not enough for her. Spreading her legs, she gets to a better position, and she grabs another one of Rain's legs. Rain knows exactly what Lemon is thinking, and she will let her have her way.

Tribadism, scissoring, call it whatever you want. Rain never got around doing it with Pink even though they kind of were planning on doing it. They were just too preoccupied with trying all kinds of other stuff. Rain regretted not doing it afterwards, but that's not going to matter anymore, since she gets to experience it shortly. Lemon pushes herself down with very little force, and the lips touch, pressing against each other ever so slightly. A soft and a wet lower body kiss pushes down on her. Lemon lays down on her other leg, while she holds the other one in place. She moves in an perfect rhythm, rubbing her vulva in a circular motion. Rain, enchanted by the sight, covers her mouth with her hand and looks down where their genitals are connected. It's an unreal sight, one that she could never have dreamed of. She still kind of misses her dick, but this isn't so bad either, especially considering how amazing it feels. Laying down, she closes her eyes and her back arcs heavily. She does not cover her mouth anymore, and instead, she lays her other hand down, while the other one grabs her own chest. She pleasures herself and rubs her nipple while Lemon pushes down on her pussy. She's completely pulled in to the play, submissive to the whims of her lover for tonight, and her bright and clear moaning is a testament to that.

Lemon, despite seeing how submissive and willing Rain is, doesn't relent. She hugs onto Rain's leg tight and leans backwards. She's like an engine running at full speed, a battery loaded to the brim with power. Her hips sway on their own almost without her even thinking about it. She too is pulled in, and she can't bring herself to stop, not until she cums. She won't even care if Rain cums first. No, she actually wants that. She wants to see what kind of scream Rain lets out when she cums, and what kind of face will she make. Her own high-pitch voice has already come out. She moans almost every time as she breathes out. Her breathing is getting more rapid as waves of pleasure fluctuate up and down. She can feel her body twitching and spasming, and Rain's body responds the same way. The reactions are getting fiercer, especially for Rain, who seems like orgasming in Lemon's grasp. Delighted, she looks down at the girl, proud of herself and how she has made this little girl feel. How could she not be proud? She got to the bed with the exact girl she wanted, and she's getting to dominate her to such a point where she's screaming her name in pleasure over and over again. Her heart flutters with happiness. Her only regret is the fact that they couldn't cum together at the same time, but hey, there's plenty of time for that. In fact, she's ready to cum herself. She doesn't stop, not until the last second. Driven now by her desire to just orgasm herself, she pushes down even harder, and she moves even harder all the way until she just stops. Her body jerks violently, and she can't concentrate anymore. She finds herself squirting with amazing force and she lets out a loud scream of pleasure, one that will surely echo to the neighbors and to outside. If any of them were worried about what could've happened to her, they now know: she's very much fine.

Exhausted, Lemon's legs are spread, and she's not grabbing to Rain anymore. She's leaning against her hands, which in turn lean to the bedsheets. Rain sees this as an opportunity to sit up, and to apply some movement of her own, a move that Lemon is delighted by. Barely having recovered from her last orgasm, she suddenly feels Rain press against herself. Lemon, too starts to move, providing some counter movement. This time, it's not as much about being in control or being in a receiving end. They are in a position which allows them both to move a little. Face to face, it doesn't get too far though, as they just can't resist the urge to share a tongue kiss, and an embrace. Their genitals are still somewhat connected, with their legs intertwined, but they can't really pleasure themselves like this, so their desire for that pulls their lips apart. They're ready to go all in again.

Their hands touch each other's naked bodies, especially their thighs and their hips, but also occasionally all the way up to their chests. This time, they're determined to cum together. They're not even communicating with words, as they can tell from their spasms and movements when they want to back down, and when they want to push harder. Their minds are one. They can achieve their goal of simultaneous orgasms. They are both close to it. They both can tell. And so, they push forward thousand miles an hour. This is it. They know it.

At the same time, both of their backs arc back, and they both spasm and convulse as they push against each other. It's the only part that connects them, as they both lean back in a similar manner. And their screams are absolutely wonderful. Almost as if trying to compete which one of them can make a louder scream of pleasure, they both moan, hard. Every time they think it's over, it just gets more intense. They want to hug and kiss, but they do not dare to take a single break, not until it's over.

Finally, they bask in a moment of tranquility, and they both lean towards each other for yet another kiss. You'd think that an orgasm is something that will drain your strength, but they find themselves even more energized. Nothing can stop them now. Well, maybe someone can. They forgot about her, but there is a third girl in the bed. They both gaze towards her. She's still sleeping very peacefully. Almost too peacefully. You would perhaps even think that she's awake and merely pretending to be asleep. Yet, she has not moved at all from the position they left her in.

"How did she not wake up is beyond me…" Rain says.

"Honestly", Lemon starts, with a mischievous smile. "Would that be a bad thing…?"

"I don't want to disrupt her…" Rain whispers. "Then again, I don't want to stop making love either…"

"Well, I mean… She can join us if she wakes up", Lemon says and giggles. "In fact, if you're just pretending to be asleep, why not join us?" They wait, but there really is no answer. There's no waking her up. "Aww, threesome would've been fun…" Lemon says, turning back towards Rain. "I guess it's just two of us…"

Rain can't do anything else but to nod. Earlier, she thought that this world could be a heaven as far as girls are considered. Now she's convinced. It is a heaven on earth.

…

In the end, it has to be asked: Is it love? It's more than a normal friendship, so could be. They certainly treat each other like lovers, calling each other cute and heartwarming names, but considering how intimate the society of Nymphs is in general because of their living circumstances, it could just be that having a sexual relationship is just something that is "normal" for Nymphs. Maybe in the society of Nymphs sex is just how they show friendship? If you were to ask Rain and Lemon, they would certainly want to work towards that kind of polyamorous society. Wouldn't that make it so that instead of gaining a lover, they gained a partner in crime in each other? Or is it an open relationship? Neither of them do not know, and they don't care, because either way, they're happy to think of each other as an irreplaceable partner, no matter what the role of the partner might be in their respective lives.

…

A new morning rises, and a long, wet and hot night is behind Rain. All of her sorrows and pains about her experiences at the hands of the tentacles are nothing but a sad memory. I mean, how could she be sad? She is in a paradise. She's not in a bed with just one naked little girl. No, there are two of them. They are both fast asleep, but there have been signs of life from the unnamed Nymph, as evident by the fact that she has turned on her stomach, there is an adorable smile on her face, and her hand is actually on top of Rain's shoulder, almost as if wanting to climb on top of her in sleep, almost as if thanking her. 'How cute', she thinks. Did she wake up at any moment? Well, Rain and Lemon DID kind of moan in her ear, sharing the same bed and all, so it's not out of question.

Rain, though, feels like she can't stay for long. She has something perhaps even more important than Lemon in her mind. Angel, Wendy and Pink. What happened to them? She wants to find out. No, she needs to find out. She absolutely has to. Lucky for her, she's as energized as ever, and ready to head out. She dresses up in her now recovered clothes, silently and slowly. She heads out towards to door, takes a one final look at the two girls she will now leave sleeping undisturbed. Only thing left to do is to write a little love letter to Lemon. There are actually already papers and pencils waiting on a table, so she takes it upon herself to write a letter explaining her absence. She also makes sure to thank Lemon for an amazing night. Now, she's ready to leave.

It's already noon. She really did sleep a lot. If she wasn't recovered before, she sure as hell is now.

No, that's not true. She has not recovered yet, and she sure as hell is not yet free from what the tentacle monster did to her. Reality kicks her in the stomach like the bastard he is. This reality is her child, a demon spawn growing in her womb. It is moving and kicking, so it has grown to be quite an energetic little bastard. She can feel it vividly, even though you wouldn't be able to tell that she's pregnant looking at her still slim waistline. But she can tell, she's pregnant, and alas, she can also tell: 'This is the day it's going to be born.'

Chapter III