Chapter 36. Thorns and Blossoms

Chapter 36: 36. Thorns and Blossoms

Kael opened his eyes to the soft light of early morning filtering through the window.

The heavy, pleasant weight of the previous night’s dreams still lingered, but his body felt light and clear.

He sat up, stretched once, and rose from the bed with a quiet sense of satisfaction.

He washed his face, rinsed his mouth, and changed into a simple training outfit.

From the corner of the room he took the plain wooden practice sword he kept for basic drills.

The real mulberry blade remained sheathed and untouched against the wall. Today was only for testing the new foundation.

Kael left his room and walked downstairs, then out the front door into the small training yard on the left side of the house.

The packed earth was cool under his feet.

Morning air carried the faint scent of dew and distant cooking fires from the rest of Grayhollow.

He stepped into the center of the yard, settled his stance, and raised the practice sword.

The knowledge of the Basic Swordsman Skill settled into his limbs without effort.

Footwork, grip, weight shift, and the clean path of a basic slash all felt natural now, as if he had drilled them for months instead of receiving them in a single moment the night before.

Kael drew a slow breath and began the first form.

His body moved with clean precision. Each step landed exactly where it should. The wooden blade cut through the air in smooth, unbroken arcs.

Swish... swish...

Weight transferred from back foot to front without wasted motion.

The basic cuts, parries, and recovery positions flowed one into the next as though he had practiced them for years.

Sweat soon beaded along his forehead and neck, but his breathing stayed steady.

He sank deeper into the rhythm, the world narrowing to the path of the blade and the feel of the packed earth under his feet.

Swish... thud... swish...

Inside the house the repeated sound of wood cutting air reached the upstairs rooms.

Seraphine woke first. She changed into long pants and a silky, heavy bra that fully covered her chest, then stepped out onto the front porch.

Eira followed a minute later, still in her usual short pants and short t-shirt, pure white and pure black hair falling loosely around her shoulders.

Both girls stopped at the edge of the training yard.

Eira’s crimson-tinted black eyes settled on Kael’s profile.

Blonde hair damp with sweat, jaw set in quiet focus, the clean lines of his face sharpened by the morning light.

A slow heat rose in her cheeks. She shrank slightly where she stood, gaze dropping to the ground in sudden shame, yet her eyes kept flicking back to him every few seconds.

’Dad looks really handsome when he’s concentrating like that.’

Seraphine watched in silence for several long heartbeats, briefly caught by the same focused expression.

Then her crimson eyes narrowed and shifted to the actual sword work.

The forms were basic, yet almost flawless. No wasted movement. No broken angles. Nothing like the rough brawler style she had always associated with him.

’There’s barely a mistake in his footwork or blade path. How did he suddenly become this clean with a sword? He was always more muscle than technique.’

Her gaze drifted to the defined lines of his arms and shoulders.

The memory of the previous night’s dream rose without warning, the thick cock, the heavy taste, the way he had spoken to her.

Suspicion settled behind her eyes. Two nights in a row. The same man. The same intensity. She did not like the pattern.

Kael finished the final recovery and lowered the practice sword. The trance faded. A solid sense of progress settled in his chest.

The Basic Swordsman Skill had integrated cleanly.

Next he would need the mental resistance skill if he ever wanted to wield the cursed mulberry blade without losing control.

Only then did he notice the two figures at the edge of the yard.

Seraphine was staring at him with an unreadable, slightly strange expression. Eira’s eyes darted everywhere except his face.

’Did Sera start suspecting me? Maybe I should wait a few more days before progressing any further with her.’

He walked over, resting the practice sword against his shoulder.

"Morning. How did you both sleep?"

Eira gave a small nod. Seraphine only shrugged, still watching him with that same guarded look.

"I’m heading out to work with Crimson Path today," Kael continued. "Stay home. Sera, take care of Eira while I’m gone."

The firmer tone in the last sentence made Seraphine’s lips tighten in annoyance, yet a faint, unwanted throb answered between her legs. She clicked her tongue and looked away.

"...Fine."

Kael went back inside, washed the sweat off, and changed into clean clothes suitable for dungeon work.

When he stepped out of the house again he found Eira near the side of the training yard, carefully watering a strange plant that grew in a wide clay pot.

He stopped beside her.

"What’s that flower called? I’ve never seen one like it."

Eira’s face brightened a little. She pointed at the thick, thorny stem.

"It’s a Thornbloom Cactus. First it grows long thorns for protection. After enough time some of the thorns soften and open into flowers. But if anyone rips the flower off, the whole thing turns back into thorns again. It only blooms properly if you leave it alone."

She spoke more than usual, voice soft but clear, then seemed to remember herself and fell quiet again, shoulders drawing inward.

Kael listened without interrupting.

’She seems happy when she’s talking about flowers. I should probably get her some new seeds of flowers.’

When she finished he reached out and gently patted her silky hair for a few seconds.

"Show me when it blooms. And don’t go outside of the house."

Eira’s cheeks colored faintly, but she nodded.

Kael gave her one last calm look, then turned and started down the road toward the guild and the waiting members of Crimson Path.

The streets of Grayhollow were still quiet in the early morning. A few vendors set up stalls. The air carried the smell of fresh bread and damp stone.

As Kael passed a narrow side alley a different sound reached him.

"Mmmph... ghk... mmm..."

Soft, muffled moans mixed with wet choking noises.

He slowed and glanced into the shadowed gap between two buildings.

A thick-green orc stood with his pants open, both hands locked on the head of a small green-skinned goblin girl.

His heavy cock disappeared into her throat with steady thrusts while she made helpless wet sounds around the shaft.

A few steps away a smaller goblin male watched the entire scene, one hand working his own cock in short, frantic strokes.

Kael felt a flash of pure disgust.

A cuckold performance before the sun had fully risen. He turned away without another look and continued down the street.

A short walk later he reached the modest wooden house shared by the Crimson Path team. He knocked once.

The door opened.

Brianna stood in the doorway wrapped in nothing but a single white towel.

Her wavy green hair was still damp from a recent shower, a few drops of water trailing down the side of her neck.

Light green skin glowed under the morning light, smooth and slightly glistening as if the moisture had soaked into her very flesh.

The towel clung to the heavy curves of her breasts and the full shape of her hips, leaving her thick thighs bare.

Kael’s cock hardened at once against the fabric of his pants.

He looked past her into the quiet interior. No voices. No movement. The rest of the team was either still asleep or already gone.

Brianna opened her mouth to greet him.

"Kael, you’re ear—"

He stepped inside, closed the door firmly behind him, and cut her off with a rough kiss.

’I need to fuck her to get the cuckold image of the goblin out of my mind.’

One hand yanked the towel free. It dropped to the floor in a soft heap.

His hands closed over her wet skin, his grip digging into her soft waist as the dropped towel pooled around her ankles.

The kiss deepened. Brianna’s surprised sound melted into a low moan against his mouth as his tongue claimed hers.

He kept one arm locked around her waist and the other roaming over the heavy curves of her chest, squeezing and lifting the soft mounds.

After several heated moments he broke the kiss, scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing, and carried her toward the nearest open doorway.

It led into a small washroom. Morning light came through a narrow window.

He stepped inside without bothering to close the door behind them and set her on the edge of the simple wooden counter.

His mouth dropped immediately to her left breast.

He took the full green nipple between his lips and sucked hard, tongue circling the stiff peak while his hand kneaded the other breast with open hunger.

’It’s time to farm some points,’ he thought, the system’s quiet presence already at the edge of his awareness.

Brianna’s fingers slid into his blonde hair as another soft moan left her throat.

Her thick thighs parted slightly on the counter, light green skin still glistening from the recent shower, while Kael continued to suck and bite at her heavy breasts without restraint.