[Chapter 302. Siege Class]

Searanox pulled a shimmering blue potion from his storage ring. The liquid inside swirled with an unnatural luminescence, casting tiny blue reflections across the metal of his armor as he extended it toward Vanessa. "Here, drink this, and then get down there and show me that spell of yours." His voice carried no urgency, only the cold precision of a commander reviewing his assets.

At the mention of a spell, Iris lifted her sleek muzzle, her silver eyes studying Searanox for a moment before her attention shifted toward Vanessa, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her canine features. There was a brief hesitation from Vanessa, her eyes darting between the potion and Searanox's expectant gaze, before she uncorked the bottle with a soft pop and drained the blue liquid in one swift motion. The cool, minty taste spread across her tongue as her depleted mana channels began to fill with renewed energy.

Afterward, Lana and Carmen began getting to their feet with Vanessa, their armor plates creaking softly as they prepared to descend into the basin. Sarah, meanwhile, curled up deeper against his side, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns on his armor before reluctantly pulling away and rising as well.

"Have I said anything about you three going down there with her?" The question cut through their preparations.

Vanessa stopped in her tracks, her hand halfway to adjusting her helmet as she turned to face him, confusion evident in her furrowed brow. "I can't go down there by myself."

"Why not? Didn't you say you can kill them by yourself?" His tone remained unchanged, as if they were discussing simple arithmetic rather than life-threatening combat.

"Not without help at the beginning. My spell needs time to accumulate." Vanessa's voice rose slightly, a hint of desperation creeping into her words as she gestured toward the pit. "The initial swarm is overwhelming; I need cover while the spell matrix forms."

"Then you're in luck, since you are not going down there all by yourself." As Searanox spoke, his two intermediate defensive drones began to bank silently toward the basin, their metallic forms glinting in the harsh desert sun as they took up defensive positions above the crater. "I'll keep you safe."

Vanessa simply watched, her expression shifting from confusion to disbelief as the drones positioned themselves. "You will protect me down there?"

"Go on, I want to see what all that commotion was about." His gauntlets dissolved into particles of blue light, leaving his arms bare and revealing the pale skin beneath. He then pulled Sarah back against his side, his fingers finding the sensitive spot at the nape of her neck as she melted into him with a contented sigh. A soft whimper escaped Iris's throat as his fingers moved to scratch behind her ears, her body pressing more firmly against him in response.

"Okay... But you promise that they won't reach me?" Vanessa's voice was barely above a whisper now, her resolve wavering as she stared down into the pit where the Husks were moving around.

Her eyes were fixed on his sunglasses, desperately searching for any sign that she would be safe down there without anyone around her. After a tense moment of his unblinking gaze, she turned and made her way down the dune, her armored boots sinking into the golden sand with each hesitant step. Halfway down, the two defensive drones took position directly in front of her, their metallic forms gleaming under the sunlight as they moved with silent, unnatural grace. As the first of the shambling undead came closer, its rotting arms outstretched and jaw hanging open, a beam of crimson light pierced its skull. It fell dead to the ground, its body collapsing into a heap of blackened flesh.

In a fraction of the time it took the four of them to reach the middle during their previous ordeal, the path toward the center was systematically cleared out by his drones. Vanessa followed the two mobile barriers, her heart pounding in her chest as she stepped over the smoldering remains of the undead. When she stood in the center of the pit, she immediately began casting her spell over and over again, each incantation causing another array of multicolored light to form above her head. Every time the beasts within the pit moved in her direction, they were blocked off by one of his barriers. The Assault drone that was stationed with her stopped firing as she accumulated enough spells to wipe out any beasts coming her way, its weapons powering down with a faint whir as it assumed a watchful stance.

"Iris, my dear, can you tell me anything about the spell they used to level?" Searanox asked.

"What spell? Are you talking about her Starfall Matrix?" Iris asked, her silver eyes focused on him as she tilted her head slightly, her ears twitching.

"No, honey, I mean the big one," Searanox said, before recounting what Sarah had told him. His voice was low and measured as he described the massive celestial spell that had engulfed the entire basin.

"I don't know about anything like that... But that would explain the rate of killing I saw." Her brow furrowed slightly as she processed this new information.

"So you didn't know either, nor have you told them about it." His fingers dug deeper into her fur after she removed her chest armor, the soft texture yielding under his touch as she pressed closer to him. Beside them, Sarah glowed faintly and pushed her half-naked body against him, her skin warm against his armor plates.

"Me too," Sarah murmured, her voice barely audible as she nuzzled against his side, her desire evident in her every movement.

The other two looked increasingly uneasy as they watched the three of them. Carmen's gaze flickered between the intimate scene and the barren dunes, while Lana fidgeted with the hem of the silken fabric beneath her armor.

"Could you... not do that, in front of us?" Lana asked in a low whisper, her voice barely carrying across the shifting sands.

Searanox noticed her nervous stance—her legs pressed tightly together as if to anchor herself against the uncomfortable intimacy unfolding before them. "If you want to join, you can simply come over. There is a nice spot for you right on my lap."

His voice cut through the desert air like polished steel, casual yet commanding. Lana's eyes widened slightly, her breath catching at the unexpected invitation.

"I can... join?" Her voice was as quiet as the wind, fragile and uncertain.

The only reason he could hear her was his enhanced senses, attuned to even the faintest whisper in the heat. After a few tense seconds in which Sarah and Iris continued their subtle caresses, Lana began to creep forward, her boots sinking into the blanket with each hesitant step. She moved like a cautious animal approaching something both terrifying and irresistible, before finally letting herself sink down onto his lap. Leaning against his chest, her arms wrapped tentatively around his waist as if testing whether this new intimacy would hold.

"Do I... do I have to undress too?" Her voice trembled slightly, the question hanging in the air between them.

He kissed her on the helm, the metal cool against his lips, before answering. "You don't have to. We are not here to indulge in that kind of activity."

Her hold on him grew tighter as she relaxed into him fully, her body gradually softening against his armor as a sigh escaped her lips. An hour passed, during which Carmen sat alone on the blanket, occasionally looking over toward the three women curled up against Searanox like devoted pets. Her fingers toyed with the edges of her armor, the metal plates warm from the desert sun as she traced the intricate patterns without really seeing them. A complex mix of emotions crossed her face—longing, resignation, and something deeper she couldn't quite name.

Moments later, a chime filled the space, piercing the relative silence of the desert. Searanox turned his full attention toward Vanessa. She stood in the center of the basin, becoming the focal point of countless floating spell circles that rotated around her in a mesmerizing dance of light and color.

The spell weave above her grew and expanded over the entire basin, casting shifting multicolored shadows across the golden sand. The individual circles began molding into each other, fusing into bigger arrays with every passing second as the air grew thick with the hum of raw arcane power. The swirling patterns formed complex shapes that seemed to defy natural laws, creating a canopy of light that stretched from one rim of the crater to the other.

"It's happening again!" Sarah called out, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and excitement. She sat up straighter, her eyes wide with fascination at the developing phenomenon.

Iris brought her head up from his neck, which was now covered in faint teeth marks and bruises from her earlier affections. She said nothing, simply watching the array form with intense focus before she whispered in a low voice that was barely audible over the growing magical thrum. "A Siege class spell?" Her silver eyes narrowed slightly as she analyzed the pattern, her mind already calculating the destructive potential of such power.

Searanox heard her soft whisper and dug his fingers into her soft fur. "Keep talking, dear." His voice was calm, yet carried an undertone of sharp interest at this unexpected development.

But before Iris could elaborate further, the array broke in several places simultaneously, creating cracks that spiderwebbed across the magical construct. The layers of the spell snapped in succession until the entire weave was destroyed, shattering like a glass panel struck by a stone. The remaining motes of light fell onto the golden sand below, fizzling out harmlessly as they touched the ground.

"No. What happened? Where are the pillars... the light?" Sarah asked while watching the spell fizzle out, her earlier excitement turning to confusion and disappointment.

Searanox looked down toward Vanessa. She stood below, looking up toward them. Her hands were still raised in casting position, frozen in the moment of the spell's disruption.

"She wants to know if she can come out. There is something she wants to tell you," Lana said, looking away from the basin and up toward his face.

"She may."

His drones protected Vanessa on her way out, their metallic forms creating a barrier between her and any lingering threats. As she came up the dunes, he got up from the blanket, leaving the three women behind, who were now watching with renewed interest. His armored boots crunched on the sand as he met her halfway down the slope.

"That was an impressive display, but why did you cancel it before I could see its potential?" His voice carried no accusation, only cold curiosity as he assessed the situation.

Vanessa held her Empty Tome in both hands, her fingers wringing the spine as she avoided his gaze. "There was a System Notification that said Celestial Downfall was not available for the next two days." Her voice carried a mixture of frustration and disappointment at this unexpected limitation.

"So much for using that spell to grind levels," he said, before pulling her closer with one hand, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. His touch was firm yet surprisingly gentle as his other hand came to rest on her hip.

His lips met hers with a deliberate intensity that made her breath catch, the unexpected tenderness contrasting sharply with his usual demeanor. She let the Empty Tome slip from her grasp; it landed with a muffled thud on the sand beside their boots as her hands clawed at his back, fingers digging into the joints of his armor as if trying to anchor herself in the moment. Several heartbeats passed where the desert air seemed to hold its breath before Searanox broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to speak. Vanessa followed, leaning further in, seeking more contact, her lips slightly parted and eyes fluttering open with a dazed expression. The kiss continued as Searanox pointed toward Iris with his free hand and motioned for her to rise.

With a gentle but firm touch on Vanessa's shoulders, he stopped the kiss again, his voice low and clear. "Iris, tell me what you know about that spell." In the next moment, he claimed Vanessa's lips once more in a deep, possessive kiss that made her mind go blank, her body molding against his armored form.

"That spell was something called a Siege class skill. It is called that because it can change the outcome of an entire siege by itself," Iris explained, her voice calm despite the intimate scene unfolding before her. "There are conditions that have to be met to cast such a skill. These kinds of spells are very draining on the caster. My guess is that her spell Starfall Matrix acts as a catalyst to initiate the spell's immense requirements. I'm impressed that she could even activate it at her current level."

Searanox held Vanessa's chin, his thumb brushing across her lower lip as he broke the kiss once again. "Vanessa, Sarah said that the spell ended by fading out after a long time earlier. Was there a change before it faded?"

Vanessa held on to him, her body trembling slightly as she tried to focus. Her lips were still parted from the intensity of the kiss before she answered, "Yes, it began to drain my mana incredibly fast before it faded. Like it suddenly became hungry."

"Not just a catalyst, but it acted as fuel for the spell, until there was nothing left to sustain it," Searanox mused, his gaze distant for a moment as he processed this information. "Can you give me a rate or amount?"

She shook her head softly, her fiery red hair brushing against his armored chest. "No, I didn't pay attention to that. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's alright," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle as he pulled her tighter against him, the metal plates pressing into her soft armor. "You've just proven to me that I have not wasted anything by supporting you." After a brief pause, he continued, "Anyway, let's get going. I want to clear these dungeons."