Nihil

"What… happened?" Aisha asked, placing a hand on her forehead.

"Well, Sui blew up the drake." Aquila mused. "Then, you breathed in the poison. And started crying. Then you… kind of just stopped crying. Got all calm. You said you were hungry, and asked for the drake's heart. We gave it to you, you took a few bites, and then you flipped out."

.

"..." Aisha slumped backwards, holding her knees close to her chest. "That… that doesn't tell me that much…"

"As someone who's lived with the side effects of necromancy for a while…" Aquila pointed to his sinister, solid purple eyes. "You get used to it. Just be thankful… Well, that you're alive. Unlike…"

.

Aisha stiffened, not daring to move her head to look at… what was left of her friend. All she could do was watch, as Sui walked past her with Amir's bow, quiver and backpack, placing the items down and nodding as a quick gesture of acknowledgment.

.

"Ah… I didn't really know you." Sui said. "But you were a good leader. I'm sorry things couldn't work out."

.

Sui made a small little bow, before walking away. The mute also walked past Aisha, doing her own small gesture of condolences.

.

"Aquila, are you going to-"

"No." The gruff swordsman said. "He was a good warrior. Died saving someone he cared about, with honor, and bravery. As far as I'm concerned, to say something here would be a dishonor."

"Then Aisha?" Sui prompted.

.

Aisha was unmoving, rocking slightly back and forth, her face pale, and hands clammy. Sui could only give her a concerned look, sitting down next to the small girl, and putting a hand around her shoulder.

.

"I'm sorry." She said sympathetically. "It never gets easier, right?"

"He's…" Aisha hesitated, the look in her eyes… was that of shock.

.

The mute woman took a seat on Aisha's side, wrapping both of her arms around the girl and petting her on the ears. Despite her inability to speak, the look on her weathered face spoke of decades of experience with loss and death…

.

"I was a really shitty friend." Aisha said quietly. "I never… I never thanked him a single time. Even though he… he did care about me. He wanted me to succeed."

"Don't worry about it." Sui soothed. "I'm sure he thought of you well."

"But…" Aisha choked out. "I-"

.

"Don't worry. It'll all be fine."

.

It was a while before eventually, the venom in the air dissipated into the ground, and the skies were clear again. Although the forest was damaged beyond belief, with the drake gone, the forest seemed to have life in it once more.

.

Aquila tasked himself with carving the head off the drake, as well as stripping the scales off the hide, while Sui and the mute comforted Aisha. It was almost sundown when he finished, the corpse of the massive monster beginning to rot and smell, the rotten, poisoned meat of the drake turning rancid in the sunlight.

.

"Let's get out of here." He grumbled. "Come on. I don't know what it is with you women, but the grieving period usually doesn't last this long."

"I'm sorry." Aisha muttered. "I just don't know what to think."

"It's your first time, isn't it?" Aquila said, his eyes sunset golden once more. "First time seeing… hm… someone you care about, right?"

.

Aisha nodded.

.

"Just let go." Aquila said. "You're never going to feel better about it. You just have to learn to live with it."

"But…"

"You're only going to see it more."

"..."

.

After a bit, Aisha finally stood up, taking a furtive glance at the makeshift grave that the adventurers had dug. It was makeshift, and the dirt in the swamp was basically sludge, but… it was kind of beautiful - Amir's arms crossed over each other, bow in hand. He looked… ready to ascend. To wherever lost souls went.

.

"I'm going to go on ahead." Aquila said, putting a hand on Aisha's shoulder.

"Ok."

.

Sui and the mute also went with the swordsman, giving Aisha some space to just stare at her friend. It was so strange.

.

She hadn't even known him that well. She didn't particularly like him that much. And yet… the thought of him being gone…

.

.

"Ahhh, thank god! I was almost late!"

.

Aisha snapped her vision to who had spoken, a black-clad figure with a scythe on their back, their form shimmering in the darkness. Just like Feng. Although they were far too short, too small, to be the imposing reaper. The figure crouched over Amir's body, doing… something.

.

"...Feng?" Aisha whispered.

"Huh?" The figure froze, the voice unmistakably female. "Oh, Maruna, I'm losing it. I thought that mortal…"

"I can see you." Aisha said coldly.

.

She froze again, the look on her face of absolute panic, as she turned to Aisha. Slowly.

"Y-you…" She said slowly. "You can see me?"

"Yes."

.

She gulped, as Aisha's dark purple eyes bored into her form.

"Say… say apple if you can actually see me."

"Apple."

.

The woman shrieked, dashing behind a decayed tree to hide from Aisha, peeking out her head and showing her face.

.

"Who are you?" She squeaked. "You're not supposed to be able to see me!"

"I'm nobody." Aisha said quietly.

"Y-you've met Feng, right?" She demanded timidly. "She's supposed to take care of people like you! Oh… dammit! She got lazy again, didn't she?!"

.

"That's enough questions." Aisha snapped. "What are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The woman pouted. "I'm a reaper."

"There's… more than one of you?"

"Of course." She replied. "How would one person cover the entire world? Thousands of people die every day."

.

"...What do you know about Feng?"

"Ooooh…" The reaper bit her lip. "I don't want to get beat up again. I can't tell you. I'm just here… to release that soul."

.

Aisha looked at Amir's grave one more time, feeling… a strange sense of relief, knowing that at least his soul was being… released, whatever that meant. She turned back to the reaper, ready to interrogate her more, but to Aisha's surprise, she was gone, small wisps of darkness left behind her.

.

"Hm."

.

.

.

[

"Nnnnnnmmmyaaahhh…" Aisha mumbled happily, nuzzling one of mistress's arms, laying down with her back all pressed up against mistress's warm chest. One of her soft arms traced playful little circles on Aisha's face and tummy, while the other one peeled sliced from a tangerine, removing even the stringy, spongy whites.

.

Nothing but the best for her adorable little Aisha.

.

Aisha opened her mouth as Lorian gently slid in a slice of the tangerine, her lips ever so slightly closing around her mistress's fingers with every bite. The sweet, somewhat sour taste was good, but… what made them amazing, was the flavor her mistress's fingers gave to them… Spicy, sweet, warm, rich… it tasted like ambrosia, like a drug. She couldn't help but indulge herself whenever she had the opportunity.

.

"Trying to eat me?" Lorian teased, giggling as Aisha almost got an entire finger in her mouth. "You're licking more of my fingers than the orange!"

.

"Oop." Aisha blushed. "I just… waah… you taste so… amazing mistress…"

.

Lorian laughed, taking another tangerine from a pile on the table, smushing Aisha's head between her breasts as she began to peel the fruit with both hands.

"You know…" She hummed. "Fen gave these to me. Or, well, us. To share. Since I don't eat that much."

"That's nice." Aisha mumbled.

"Are they good?"

"Not as good as you…" Aisha mumbled. "And… I feel… um. A little full…"

"Really?" Lorian exclaimed. "I've never heard you say that before! You're always hungry!"

Aisha blushed. "Well, you've… been feeding me a lot."

.

True to her word, there was a mountain of tangerine peels on the table, starting to topple over and fall onto the ground.

.

"Oh." Lorian smiled, poking around at Aisha's stomach, feeling a bulge, and resistance. She giggled as Aisha squirmed on top of her - it was almost like the poor girl was pregnant.

.

For a brief second, Lorian's eyes went ravenous, the image of Aisha full of her children-

.

"Ah, um." She shook her head. "Do you still have room? I have your favorite snack!"

"Cake?" Aisha asked excitedly, the eager look in her eyes making her look like a dog, offered her favorite treat. Lorian couldn't help but smile and laugh.

.

"Yes, yes." She smiled, reaching behind the couch, the unmistakable sound of plate clanking against fork reaching Aisha's large ears. "Hee hee. So cute."

.

Aisha practically bounced up and down in Lorian's embrace, the excitement showing on her face in a goofy smile, and bright, lively eyes.

.

"Okay," Lorian grunted, the couch making a sticking sound as the large girl slid herself into a sitting position, Aisha's head in her lap. "Come on. This is messy! You have to get up."

"NNnnnnn…" Aisha pouted, burying her head in-between Lorian's thick thighs. "But I don't want to get up… I can't cuddle when we're sitting face to face."

Lorian sighed in mock exasperation, still smiling uncontrollably. "Just do it, so I can feed you."

"But your legs feel so goooooood…" Aisha purred, pressing Lorian's thighs together with her hands.

.

"Come on, get up!"

"Okaaaaaaay." Aisha sang goofily.

.

Aisha turned around to get up, yelping as Lorian grabbed her ass hungrily, squishing the firm, yet small globes in her hands. Her embarrassment subsided slightly when she realized that mistress was just pulling her into her lap, but Aisha couldn't ignore the warm hands gently caressing her backside.

.

To avoid falling backwards, Aisha was forced to wrap her arms around Lorian's back, blushing intensely as she was suddenly made to stare her mistress directly in the face, eyes sultry and playful.

.

"Close enough?" Lorian breathed out, cheeks rosy.

.

Aisha nodded shyly, as Lorian set the plate of cake on top of Aisha's lap, cutting a small slice and raising the fork to Aisha's small, slightly chapped lips. The little fey took the fork into her mouth submissively, ears flattening out in embarrassment as she felt Lorian's loving gaze from above her.

.

"Good girl." Lorian giggled, as Aisha swallowed the bite, licking her lips to get the crumbs. "Is it good?"

"Mhm…" Aisha mumbled.

.

Lorian frowned, the look on Aisha's face not as blushy or cute as usual, despite eating her favorite snack.

.

"What's wrong?" Lorian asked.

"Err… awhhh…" Aisha blushed, looking down. "I-it's nothing…"

"Aisha…" Lorian said, chidingly.

"I like it better when you hand feed me…" Aisha whispered.

.

Lorian mentally slapped herself, the conclusion so obvious. And so cute. She giggled.

.

"Hand feed you the cake?" Lorian giggled mirthfully. "That sounds messy!"

"Ah!" Aisha squeaked. "Um. You don't have to."

"No no…" Lorian licked her lips. "Messy is fine."

.

Aisha blushed again, desperately wanting to bury her face in mistress's shoulder, but unable to, as her head was level with Lorian's.

.

"But take off your shirt." Lorian demanded. "It's hard to clean."

"W-what!?" Aisha squeaked, turning scarlet red. "B-bu bubub-bu but-"

"I'm only in my bra." Lorian pouted. "Come on! It's only fair."

"B-but you're so pretty…" Aisha whispered. "I…"

.

"Off, off off!" Lorian demanded, setting the cake to the side as she pounced on Aisha, stripping the squealing little fey, each article of clothing flung into the air without a care of where it went. Soon, both girls were stripped to only their undergarments, Aisha's plain white panties matching her white chest wrappings. and contrasting with Lorian's lacy blacks.

.

Aisha's eyes widened as Lorian grabbed a small portion of cake, the chocolate sticking to her fingers as she brought it to Aisha's lips.

.

"Hand fed." Lorian purred, as Aisha shyly took Lorian's offering into her mouth, licking Lorian's fingers as she pressed them into her mouth.

.

"Hm." Lorian looked at her fingers, still covered in chocolate, the suppressed licks not quite enough to clean her fingers completely. She grinned, as she put her fingers at Aisha's slightly open mouth.

.

"Lick." She demanded.

.

And lick Aisha did, sucking the fingers, the sweet chocolate, the slight saltiness of Lorian's fingers, the sweetness of the moment… Aisha was addicted. She had never been so glad to be a slave. She would serve Lorian for the rest of her life, even if she could only just lick her fingers, it was just so good…

.

"More cake, more cake!" Lorian giggled excitedly.

.

.

It didn't take that long for Aisha to finish the cake - despite the extended… cleaning period after each bite, and the tautness in her tummy, the taste of the cake, and mistress's fingers were too good to restrain herself. After she finished, Aisha let out a little sigh of contentment, feeling light-headed and warm, purely out of loving satisfaction.

.

Mmmm… If Lorian had asked her to marry her right there, she would have happily said yes. Not that she wouldn't have normally, but… In that moment… Aisha loved her mistress so much.

.

But despite the satisfaction, there was the presence of something else, a feeling... something… not quite as loving or wholesome.

.

"Aw, Aisha, you got crumbs all over me!" Lorian whined, chocolate crumbs all over her lower body. "And yourself, too… ah, I'm sitting on them…"

.

Without prompting, Aisha slid out of Lorian's embrace and turned over, eyes fixated on her dirty navel, as if she was hypnotized. Before Lorian could even question what she was doing, shivers wracked her body as Aisha dragged her tongue all over her exposed body parts, eating the crumbs off her navel and leaving a trail of saliva.

.

Lorian's eyes went wide, and her face turned scarlet, babbling incoherently in embarrassment as the erotic sensation spread over her body.

.

"A-Aisha!" She squeaked. "What's gotten into y-HYAAH!"

.

Lorian let out an embarrassing squeak of surprise, as Aisha's strong hands flipped her onto her stomach, and she began, at Lorian's mortification, to suck and lick at the bottom of her thighs and butt, slathering her squishy parts in saliva. Lorian had to bite her lip to hold in a moan.

.

"A-Aisha…" She whimpered. "I-I think you got everything on my butt."

"Oh. Okay." Aisha said casually, completely oblivious.

"Um… But… I think you might have missed… a few crumbs on my mouth and breasts…"

]

.

.

.

"Aisha." Aquila said, interrupting Aisha's daydream.

"Huh?"

"You almost walked into that tree."

"..."

.

Aisha was suddenly made aware that indeed, she had been just a few inches from walking directly into one of the only trees in the entire plains that spanned the massive area around the capital.

.

"Oh." Aisha muttered.

"Daydreaming?" Sui asked, cheerful as always.

"Mhm."

.

.

.

"...Aisha."

"Huh?" Aisha snapped out of her daze, barely even recognizing that they were back in town.

"Do you know who the client was?"

"..."

"He was the only guy who knew, huh?"

.

Sui looked around at the group nervously.

.

"Ah, it's fine." Aquila sighed, hefting a knapsack, dripping blood. "We'll split the profits from the corpse."

"Okay." Aisha mumbled.

.

Aquila swiveled on his heel when he felt a tapping on his shoulder, his eyes meeting the mute's. She made some sort of gesture that the somewhat simple swordsman couldn't really understand - all he could do was furrow his brows in confusion.

.

"I don't… money? Gold? You… fight… no?" He said, trying his best to interpret.

"I think she wants to give up her reward?" Sui guessed. "Since she didn't do that much? OOps. Sorry."

.

The mute put a hand on Sui's shoulder and nodded.

"Alright." Aquila nodded, as he took out his coin purse. "Seems fair."

.

The swordsman took out a few platinum coins and gave a few to Sui, and then pressed the coins forcefully into Aisha's limp hand. He gave her a strange look, before giving her a few more, after a bit of thinking.

.

"What's this for?" Aisha asked quietly.

"For Amir." Aquila said. "His share."

"But…"

"It's not for you." Aquila snorted. "Use it to honor his name. Towards something he wanted."

"...The brat…" Aisha mumbled, inaudible.

"Yeah, sure." He sighed. "The… mmphmhmhmm, or whatever. I'm off to go sell this."

"...Ok."

.

.

.

"Why are you still following me?" Aisha demanded, annoyed, as Sui followed Aisha around like a concerned parent.

"Because you are a friend! Despite our differences." Sui said cheerfully. "And you are in pain. I am here to help."

"Mmmnot in pain." Aisha mumbled.

"You are." The girl said softly. "I know it's difficult to open up-"

"I don't know what I'm feeling." Aisha muttered.

.

"Oh. That was fast." Sui said quietly.

.

Aisha sat down on a wooden bench and leaned forward, looking down at the ground. Sui thought to put a hand on her back, but decided against it, plopping down on the bench next to Aisha, emitting an audible creak.

.

"I'm not sad." Aisha said. "I… I've felt that before. I just… I can't stop thinking about him. About… how I was such a shit friend. And how… and how he cared about me."

"Of course he cared about you." Sui said, raising an eyebrow. "He was your friend, right?"

.

"But why was he friends with me!?" Aisha demanded, desperately. "Why did he do it? I never… I never did anything for him, like he did for me."

Sui shrugged. "It's just nice to have a friend. Sometimes company is enough."

"But why me?" Aisha asked.

"I don't know." Sui pursed her lips. "Maybe it's because you're cute!"

.

"Is that my only redeemable quality?" Aisha asked, pulling her legs up to her chest. "That I'm cute? Everything… everything I have… is because I'm cute… Without my face… am I just…?"

"Does it matter?" Sui asked.

"What?" Aisha furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"That doesn't change what you have now." Sui offered. "You're still a sapphire adventurer! That's pretty good!"

.

"Pretty good isn't enough." Aisha muttered, a familiar, self-inflicted statement of self-doubt, but at least she was back to her normal, gloomy self, her mind taken off of… whatever it was.

.

"Come on, friend!" Sui laughed. "Why don't you do some… uh… normal things? What do you usually do?"

"Train." Aisha mumbled. "But it's sundown. So my teacher isn't available."

"I can teach you!" Sui offered, smiling.

.

Aisha looked at Sui's earnest, bright, cheerful expression, and could only muster up one of disdain in return. But at the same time, as annoying as Sui was, she… was trying to help. And Aisha realized that… that was something that she shouldn't scorn.

"...Maybe later." Aisha muttered.

"Then what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know."

.

Sui just shook her head and pursed her lips. Hm… What do friends do for other friends?

.

.

.

"2 mugs of your hardest beer, please!" Sui said cheerfully, a hard contrast to the guild clerk's scathing derision. "1 for me, and 1 for my friend!"

.

"How old are you?" The middle aged man asked suspiciously, eyeing Sui's… young complexion.

"3!" She said cheerfully.

"..."

"UH, UH…" Sui panicked. "3 decades! I'm… I'm 30! 30 years old."

"Yeah." The clerk muttered. "Sure. Whatever."

.

He turned around, poured some drinks into some tall gray mugs, and put them lazily in front of the two girls, their chests level with the counter. Aisha sighed as she stared at the mug lazily, staring deeply into its dented surface. It was almost a foot tall, and while Aisha wasn't exactly underage, or a lightweight at that matter, she didn't particularly enjoy the bitter taste of alcohol, much preferring juices and sugary drinks.

.

"Whoa, what the hell?"

.

Aisha turned her head lazily to the adventurer sitting next to her, staring with his mouth agape at Sui. She followed his gaze, and Aisha was also surprised to see the small girl chugging the beer effortlessly, mug upturned above her head. The contents of the steel mug drained into Sui's mouth like it was poured down a drain, and Sui finished in only a few seconds, letting out an exaggerated "Ah!" as she smiled, staring at Aisha with a smug look.

.

"Now it's your turn!" Sui said playfully, patting Aisha on the back as onlookers whistled and marveled at Sui's drinking ability. "Let's see who's better at consuming alcoholic drinks!"

"Hmph." Aisha huffed, as she stared at the mug with disdain. "Sure."

.

Aisha wasn't really all that competitive, but… with Sui… she kind of wanted to shut her fat mouth up. She made sure to keep eye contact with the girl as she tilted her head back, gripping her mug and downing the contents into her throat.

.

After a few seconds, Aisha started coughing, the bitter taste poison to her taste buds, as she stuck her tongue out, making noises that were reminiscent of a cat throwing up a hairball.

.

"Too bad!" Sui laughed good naturedly, taking Aisha's mug and sloshing it around. "You've still got a bit left on the bottom! That means I win!... Aisha?"

.

The fey girl suddenly fell out of her stool, bracing her fall with a hand as she started to gag, one hand around her throat. It was immediately obvious that something was wrong, with the way that Aisha began to shake, droplets of blood starting to come out of her mouth.

.

"Poison!" Someone shouted.

.

Indeed, Sui looked inside Aisha's mug once more, to find that the liquid was completely green, not even close to the yellow, bubbly look of beer. It was so obviously poison that it was amazing that Aisha didn't notice.

.

"How much of that did she drink?" Someone asked.

"Almost the entire mug?"

"How didn't she realize that it was poison?"

"Who poisoned her?"

.

Sui glared angrily at the guild clerk, the middle aged man not even looking nervous enough to leave, or for that matter, not stare directly at Aisha as she convulsed on the ground. Sui thought about killing the man right there, but she decided to tend to Aisha first. The adventurers that were sitting next to the two girls were already starting to advance on him.

.

"I'm taking her to a priest." She said firmly, showing surprising strength as she shoved aside massive adventurers like paperweights. "Out of my way!"

"She just drank an entire mug of rat poison!" Someone cried. "There's no way she's living!"

.

"No. She's living." Sui said quietly.

.

One of Sui's hands emerged from her cloak, the girl preparing to throw it to the side and reveal her chest and midsection, but she suddenly stopped, when Aisha stopped shaking on the ground abruptly, going stiff.

.

"Aisha?" Sui asked fearfully. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Aisha growled, her voice… unusually deep, and gravelly. "I'm fine."

.

"She's alive?"

"What?"

.

Aisha took a deep breath, rising slowly to her feet, taking long, even breaths through her nose. Sui raised an eyebrow when Aisha stood up straight, and looked the girl in the eyes.

.

Aisha's pupils had gone slitted, and there was a strange, green pattern under her eyes, crossed like the scales of… of a drake. She radiated a primal, beastial aura, her posture hunched over, glaring at the clerk out of the top of her eyes.

.

"...You're fine." Sui said after a tense silence, not mentioning the strange changes.

"Yeah." Aisha growled, the sound coming from her throat, beastlike. "I thought that tasted worse than usual."

.

"Beer doesn't taste that bad." Someone said quietly.

.

"Peh. Should have used poison for a larger kind of vermin."

.

Aisha turned menacingly to the guild clerk, restrained by two large men on each of his sides. She knew that the man had never liked her, and was quite the racist, but he had never acted on it seriously before.

"Going to kill me?" He said, hate gleaming in his eyes. "Dog."

.

"Who paid you to do this?" Aisha asked, remarkably aloof for someone who had just been poisoned. Or, well, perhaps she was just used to almost dying at that point.

.

"Hah!" The clerk spat. "Normally, there's no way I would tell you, but…"

.

Suddenly, he craned his neck outwards, shouting for the entire guild to hear.

"IT WAS IFRIT!" He yelled. "GOD HIMSELF WANTED THIS DOG OUT OF THIS WORLD! THIS MONSTER HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY NECROMANCY!"

.

"Shut up!" One of the adventurers at his side snarled, striking the clerk in the face. "Don't you dare try to slander Ifrit's name like that!"

"It's true!" The clerk cackled, an insane look in his eyes. "He came to me! When I was refilling the mead! I saw him! He told me that the dog would come! HE-"

.

"Enough!" Someone growled, striking the clerk in the side of the head, knocking him out.

"Just take him to the guards."

.

The atmosphere in the guild started to die down when the adventurers dragged the clerk out into the street, flagging down a set of nearby patrols to deal with the crazed clerk.

.

"Was what he said true?" Someone asked Aisha.

"Touched by necromancy?"

"She is looking a little taller than usual…"

.

Aisha just ignored all the comments with a snarl, shaking her eyes as a light ringing entered her ears, and the area around her eyes began to tingle. She reached up to touch the top of her cheeks, but there was nothing there, save for a slight redness. Opening her eyes, they were once more a dark purple, her pupils dotted.

.

"Ugh." Aisha shook her head, sticking out her tongue in disgust. "My mouth tastes horrible."

"Well…" Sui turned to the counter, lightly scuffed up from the earlier confrontation. "Um…"

.

"Why don't we get drinks from an actual bar…" Aisha grumbled.

.

Sui smiled as she saw the grumpy look on Aisha's face.

"Sure, friend!"