Tabula Rasa: Adventures In A New World

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH~!”

That ear-piercing screech rushes past the tanned Elf’s parted lips as the back of her head slams into the ashen ground with more than enough force to send some soot flying. Her spine arches and her limbs go stiff for just a moment before she begins to violently seize and convulse.

In that very same instant, the strangely invigorating feeling that was suffusing Krvavy abruptly disappears, leaving her feeling heavy.

Her heart pangs.

The bone-handled haft of her axe slips from Krvavy’s fingers as she quickly drops to her knees, grabbing onto the shrieking Elf without a thought. Her thick tail bats the half-buried corpse aside. Or at least tries to. Panic pokes at the edges of her mind, thicker than the haze of smoke surrounding them both.

But...

Her mind prickles. Something isn’t right.

“AAAAOOOOOUUUUAAHH~!”

That warbling, unsteady scream... It isn’t one of terror or pain. It is... rapturous.

The Elf’s bright blue-green eyes roll up in her head, dilated pupils quivering and shaking nearly as much as her body. One of her hands grabs onto the barbarian’s wrist, slim fingers clamping around it with a surprising amount of strength. The other thumps into her wood bark breastplate before slipping down and seizing onto a fistful of her tunic’s loose fabric.

Krvavy’s gaze drops down from her dusty face.

There is a new addition around this Elf’s neck. A collar. A thick, metal collar. Simple and fairly plain. Almost unremarkable, if not for its otherwise smooth surface having been embossed with basic repeating patterns. Which almost look too purposeful to just be mere decoration...

Something about that thing, in its entirety, feels... unnatural. Unsettling. Unnerving.

“HHHHHHhhhhhhhH~!” The Elf’s teeth clench together, her whole body locking up as she shakily sucks in a breath of air. “AAaoOOOUUHHHHMMmHHGHH~!” Only to continue vocalizing what is now undeniably an extremely intense amount of pleasure, her beautiful face contorting with bliss.

Is... is this collar making the Elf cum...? Constantly... and repeatedly...?

That really does appear to be the case.

The corner of Krvavy’s eye twitches. A flash of anger, hot and raging, burns away at the shock and surprise that overtook her mind.

Those damned developers...!

This isn’t meant to be a porn game! So why does it keep acting like one?!

“HhhhnNHHGHHHHAAAAHGHHHK~!” The Elf’s screaming moan continues on and on, broken up only by ragged gasping breaths and choked coughs. Her unsteady, orgasmic flailing kicks dust and ash into the already hazy air. “OOOUUUUAAAAAAHHHNHH~!”

A faint feeling of helplessness washes over Krvavy, mingling with her immense annoyance. Her brow knits together and her lips flatten into a thin line. She shuffles slightly, resting more of her weight on her inhuman ankles. The lingering smoke and ash stings both her eyes and lungs. She ignores that discomfort.

The tanned Elf bucks and thrashes. Her long legs straighten and go slack and stiffen once more, heels digging into the ashen soil. Her arms tense and tremble. Her spine arches, hips raising up and slamming back down again.

Krvavy delicately adjusts her grip on this convulsing and climaxing Elf’s body, carefully cradling the woman’s shaking head in her lap. The fingers of her left hand idly comb between tomboyishly short strands of hair, sifting through soot to reveal... a rich brown colour. Shining like dark, polished wood beneath the layers of ash. This apparently brunette Elf’s hair is... so soft and smooth... Even beneath the filth. Even as it quickly grow damp with sweat. And even as the soot and sweat clump together. Though that is a little... unpleasant.

The barbarian’s right hand goes in the other direction, bringing the clingy grasp of this orgasming Elf along with it. Her palm presses against a toned thigh clad in tight leather, fingers and thumb hooking around that leg, attempting to pin the Elf’s lower body in place. An attempt that is... less than successful.

The tanned woman continues to convulse, legs kicking up even more clouds of ashen dust as her thrashing body threatens to roll over. Her voice cracks in the middle of a particularly loud and ecstatic scream, catching in her undoubtedly sore throat. “HHKGHHHhhHMNHHHAA~!”

With no other choice, the Drakling lets that tanned tomboy’s tense and trembling fingers shakily guide her wrist to a place that just so happens to provide much better leverage.

Heat and need radiates out from the Elf’s core, burning into the heel of Krvavy’s hand as she cups this convulsing Elf’s... crotch. The partially armoured brunette frantically bucks her hips up into that hand, grinding herself against its restraining grip.

Even though those tight leather pants surely muffle that touch... the almost certainly mind-meltingly immense amount of pleasure that this tanned woman is experiencing is still sent to even greater heights. Her wavering vocalizations near immediately shift as a result. Gone is the sheer desperation that filled her earsplitting screams. In its place is a... euphoric satisfaction.

A perverse glee. Debauched delight. Joy.

And with that... happiness... comes another change. Her pleasured wailing, sharp and earsplitting, gradually lowers down into a long rumbling hum of a moan. “HHHNNnghhmmMMHGHH~!” Though the noises she makes are still far from quiet.

Krvavy takes a deep breath... and immediately coughs. Her attention was so focused on this Elvish woman that she somehow forgot about their frankly apocalyptic surroundings...

Her anger and annoyance, drawn out by the unexpectedly degenerate direction this encounter has gone in, slowly but steadily begins to dim down. Though those emotions don’t fully disappear. And how could they? This game keeps showing off just how lewd it can be, and that keeps getting on her nerves...

But still, bit by bit, Krvavy is calming down. Mostly due to how relaxing it is to pet this Elf’s roughly chin length hair. Each and every slow, stroking motion... Repeating again and again... The feeling of her fingers sifting through that tomboyishly tussled mess... Even with the dirt and soot and sweat, those soft and silken strands are simply... a treat to touch.

As odd as that may be.

The crackling sounds of who knows how many different flames only grows quieter as the seconds drag on into minutes. Most, if not all, of those fires are slowly dying down. A heavy, oppressive silence soon hangs over this charred and devastated section of the forest, interrupted only by this Elf’s hoarse moans.

“Hhmmgh-hhnnmh~...!” It takes some time, but even those lewd noises eventually grow soft and weak. As does the constant climactic convulsing of this tanned tomboy’s athletic body. Though she is still wracked with the occasional aftershock that causes her to sporadically tremble and shake. “Hhhhnh~...”

Eventually... the Elf falls still. More or less.

Her chest continues to rise and fall beneath her solid bark breastplate, shaky and unsteady. Her eyes still shift and move beneath their closed lids, sooty cheeks stained with trails of tears. Her lips remain parted, panting for air as bubbling drool drips down from the corners of her serenely smiling mouth. Her grip even slips from Krvavy’s wrist, arm dropping limply to the ground.

She looks... completely and utterly broken.

Which sends a chill down Krvavy’s spine.

The hand that she has on this Elf’s head glides forwards, brushing over a single long and pointy ear. She gently prods the cheek of this blissed out woman. Nothing. Her next poke is a little more forceful. It still gets no response.

But just as Krvavy begins to truly worry, “ohh~...!” the Elf gasps and begins to stir. Her whole body trembles faintly. Like a half-asleep cat stretching as she wakes up from her nap. “Haahhh~...” She softly exhales, head tilting back as her eyelids slowly lift. “Child... o’ the wy’ahld~...?” Warmth fills her sore voice as she slowly blinks and blinks and blinks, focusing on the Drakling looming above her. “Aye~... It’s ya~...!”

Krvavy stares back down into those beautiful, blue-green eyes. Confusion mingles with relief. “Huh...?”

“Ah – mmhhh~!” A soft moan interrupts this tanned woman’s response. Her Elvish ears twitch slightly as a faint rosy hue colours her caramel cheeks. At least the parts not still covered in ash and soot. Her pleasured tears have washed a fair bit of that away though. “Ah~... saw ya chasin’ tha’ deer earlier~... Did ya catch it in the end~?” A smile plays at her lips, affectionate and almost teasing.

That almost casual question catches Krvavy even more off guard than she admittedly already was. “Yes...” She hesitantly responds, unable to keep her gaze from dropping down to the heavy collar.

“Ach~...” The Elf’s tone remains light even as she makes that disappointed or disagreeing noise. With a bit of effort, she weakly brings both her hands up and... rests them atop that metal thing. As if to hide it. “Don’t ya – hahh~! – worry about this~...!”

Krvavy narrows her eyes slightly. She will indeed worry about that thing. Just... not immediately. She has a more pressing concern on her mind. “Are you okay?”

The tomboyish woman trembles with joy, her already rather bright eyes lighting up even further. “Aye~!” She cheerily answers, her shaky hands darting forwards and clasping onto one of Krvavy’s own. The one that was stroking her hair, before having moved down to poke her in the face. She pulls it up against her armoured chest. As if trying to hug it. “Ah–hahhh~!–’ve never been better~!”

Krvavy bites the inside of her cheek. She sees what is happening right now.

The fact that this tomboyish Elf was overwhelmed with an immense and frankly ridiculous amount of pleasure – cumming over and over again for quite a few minutes straight – just from having laid her eyes on Krvavy... That collar around her neck... The way she is acting now and what her tone is like compared to earlier...

It all clicks together. Quite easily, really.

Those horny perverted degenerates... The devs just couldn’t help themselves, could they...? Programming and scripting out an encounter where the player can get not just a beautiful Elvish slave, but a beautiful Elvish loveslave... Fucking porn game in disguise... A horny slave collar of all things... seriously...?

She really should have expected as much.

“Truly! Ah’m alright!” The Elf hastily reassures, squeezing Krvavy’s hand as she misunderstands the barbarian’s frustrated expression. “Tha’ blight ‘ardly ‘urt me at all! At least not seriously...” She dismissively shakes her head, tapping the tips of her pointed ears into both of the rather muscled thighs that she is clearly more than happy to continue using as a pillow. “Ya saved me just in time~! Ah~...! Hhhngh~!” A particularly strong aftershock rolls through her body. Her grip on Krvavy’s hand tightens. “Ah can’t tha–aaahnk~! – ya enough~! Ah don’t know ‘ow Ah could – hhh~! – could ever repay ya fer doin’ wha’ ya did~!”

Krvavy’s brow furrows faintly.

A wide and undeniably loving smile fills this tanned woman’s face as she stares back up at the barbarian, eyes glimmering with affection and adoration. Her long Elf ears wiggle happily and in obvious joy. She looks so serene and... subservient.

A faint frown finds its way onto the barbarian’s face.

Silence lingers between the two of them. Awkward and uncomfortable. For Krvavy at least. This Elf doesn’t seem to mind it one bit. She is clearly just happy to bask in the barbarian’s presence...

“You can start by telling me your name.” Those words have barely made it past Krvavy’s lips and she already regrets uttering them. That was... too cold. Too forceful and demanding. Just because she is annoyed at the degenerate developers doesn’t mean she can to be rude to this innocent Elf: a simple ‘what is your name’ would have sufficed...

“Oh~!” The tanned tomboy’s eyes go wide. A slightly sheepish expression fills her face. “Apologies! Ah-poll-oh-gheez! Ah got caught up wit’ everythin’ and didn’t introduce myself! A-a-hem,” she clears her slightly raspy throat but doesn’t bother to sit up, keeping her head resting comfortably in Krvavy’s lap. “Ah... am Beryl Woodswalker, but ya can call me wha’ever ya want~!” She lewdly moans out that introduction, following it up with a weak buck of her hips. “Hhhhn~!”

Only her tight, form-fitting leather pants keeps her pussy from directly grinding against the Drakling’s palm.

Krvavy’s gaze snaps over to that hand, staring straight at it for a few long seconds. A bit of heat spreads through her cheeks. Slowly, very very slowly, Krvavy pulls her hand away. Her eyes return to those of the Elf. “So... Beryl, huh?” She idly asks, completely failing to act casual.

Though, to be fair, that is a genuine question. If not an eloquently spoken one. Beryl doesn’t exactly sound like an ‘Elf’ name to her. At least not compared to Woodswalker.

“Aye~! Tha’ is me~!” A knowing grin is plastered across this tomboy’s more or less upside-down face. “Ah know tha’ bein’ named after a rock – even if a fancy one – isn’t usual fer an Elf, but my mam saw my eyes when Ah was just a babe and the name stuck!”

Despite how loudly she was screaming and for how long that lasted... Beryl’s voice does not sound nearly as sore as it should... Nor is she as breathless as she was just a few short minutes ago...

At least her not moaning anymore makes some sense... now that Krvavy’s hand is keeping to itself and all...

“Ah could tell ya more, if ya want ta ‘ear it!” The increasingly enthusiastic Elf eagerly offers, quite literally quivering with excitement. Seeing that slight bit of colour tinging Krvavy’s pale cheeks seems to have only invigorated her... “Ah don’t mind! In fact, Ah’d love ta tell ya more! Ta tell ya anythin’ ya want! And ya are free ta scry me all ya desire too! My very being is yers~! So go on~! Look inta my soul~! Ah’ll ‘appily bear all tha’ Ah am fer ya~! Scry me~! Do it~! Ah don’t mind~!”

Krvavy pulls back a bit, feeling slightly put off by how insistent Beryl is being. But... she does need to, well, interrogate this Elf. And starting that off with Inspect isn’t a bad idea. That will give her some needed answers, no doubt, even if it raises even more questions in the process.

The barbarian just barely keeps herself from flinching as that sheet pops into her vision, though her brow still shoots up in surprise as she registers the almost overwhelming amount of information it contains. Her eyes immediately begin to dance across numbers and words, flitting around so quickly and aimlessly that everything in front of her blurs together and loses meaning.

Krvavy forces herself to freeze, pausing and taking a deep breath. Which stings. But doesn’t make her cough. There is still smoke lingering in the air, yes, but it isn’t quite as thick as before. Probably because the ash and soot has had a chance to settle down now that Beryl is no longer thrashing around in orgasmic ecstasy...

And on the topic of that Elf...

What the fuck!?

That this Elf is a higher level than the barbarian isn’t a surprise. Even Thea had a level on her when they first met. Only one though, and the fact that Krvavy just levelled up from killing the sketchy fire mage means that she is now one above than that brat...

Still, Krvavy expected this tanned tomboy of an Elf to be much more powerful than her. But not by this much...! She figured that Beryl would be vaguely in the same ballpark as her Orc. So about ten levels ahead of her. Not a full twenty...! Not nearly four times her level!

How does this sort of thing keep happening?!

Krvavy hasn’t even gone that far from her cave! Sure, she went into a different ‘zone’ each time – first the plains and now this forest – but both are directly adjacent to the rocky hills she started in! Does this game even have levelled areas...?! Honestly, probably not. It is meant to be as ‘realistic’ as possible, and that sort of game design doesn’t exactly fit into a ‘real’ world... Especially not one with multiple different potential starting areas...

The barbarian shakes her head.

Now really isn’t the time to think about all of that. She still has this Elf’s stat sheet hanging in her vision, after all. And the single number that derailed her thoughts like that is far from the only thing on it. There is so much more for her to look over... Some parts sound rather interesting, while others are... not quite boring, but they definitely don’t need much attention.

Like the two lines below Beryl’s surprisingly high level. That this tomboy is a Wood Elf isn’t a surprise at all. Nor is her Class: she was using a bow, hence the Ranger part, and she magically summoned a lot of thorny vines, hence the Druidic part.

But that title... Elvish Lover... Well, that doesn’t exactly feel the most accurate. Wouldn’t something like ‘Elvish Slave’ be a better fit? Maybe it is just going off of how Beryl is acting...? Or maybe it is because Krvavy hasn’t really committed to enslaving – or freeing – her yet...? Or maybe titles are just bullshit with no real meaning behind them...? Though the other ones she has seen – for herself, Thea, and her Orc – are all fairly fitting...

Either way, Krvavy won’t magically find any answers just by thinking up questions. Her gaze drops a little lower. “Uh, are you sure that you’re okay?” She asks the Elf lying half in her lap, who has just barely more than a quarter of her health remaining.

That additional bit of concern over Beryl’s safety causes this Elf’s already rather warm expression to light up even more. “Aye!” She brightly beams, looking absolutely overjoyed as she drags the Drakling’s hugged hand up to her face, nuzzling her cheek against it. “Ah’m a bit sore and could use some fresh air, but tha’ is it! Give me some time and Ah’ll be right as rain!”

Krvavy is a little skeptical of that, but... none of the numbers are red and Beryl’s health is slowly regenerating... Plus, this Elf’s stamina is absolutely flying up, which doesn’t seem like something that’d happen if she was, say, suffering from smoke inhalation...

The barbarian stares down at Beryl’s smile for a few more seconds.

The Elf stares back at her, glimmering blue-green eyes full of... infatuated devotion.

Krvavy stifles a sigh and averts her gaze, hardly even sparing her imprisoned hand a glance along the way. This tomboy’s grip is quite tight. It just wouldn’t be worth the effort to pry those clingy fingers away. So Beryl can keep rubbing it into her face as much as she wants. Even if that is a bit... distracting.

Trying her best to ignore that Elf’s odd antics... Krvavy fully focuses her attention on the busy stat sheet hovering in front of her.

The various numbers that fill up its bottom left corner are... fairly big and impressive, for the most part. Beryl’s Social stats are all a bit lacking. As is her Rationality. At least compared to her Dexterity or Perception. Those two are pretty amazing. Beyond that though... there is really isn’t much more to say about this Elf’s stats.

And while she is at it... Krvavy might as well continue on this vaguely counterclockwise path that she seems to be taking. Which means Beryl’s Skills are up next. The passive ones are all incredibly self-explanatory, so no point wasting time with them. But the active ones... Those look a lot more interesting.

Animal Aspect: Magic infuses your body, temporarily lending you the power of beasts. Associated attribute = Insight.

That is a... frustratingly vague description. Maybe it is just an incredibly open-ended spell...? One with dozens upon dozens of possible effects, all with different details and mana costs that might be too much to list here? Stuff like night vision, breathing underwater, turning nails into claws...? Or maybe it just gives stat boosts based on more figurative ‘aspects’? Like the vision of a hawk for Perception or catlike agility for Dexterity?

Krvavy might ask the Elf about that later. When she doesn’t have just shy of a dozen other spell descriptions waiting to be read.

Calm Creature: Beast magic soothes the mind of an animal, pacifying it to your presence. Associated attribute = Insight.

Detect Beasts: A pulse of beast magic is emitted, giving knowledge of the locations of nearby animals. Associated attributes = Insight & Perception.

Enrich Earth: Earthen magic infuses the ground, fertilizing the soil with rich nutrients. Associated attribute = Willpower.

Those three are... also just as vague as the first. Which is odd considering how basic they seem in comparison. There must be a reason for that, and if Krvavy had to guess... then she’d say that it is probably because all of those fine details vary depending on stats, class, and maybe race too?

Or maybe she just hasn’t levelled up Inspect high enough.

Again, that is a question to put aside for later.

Forest’s Curse: Nature magic infuses the surrounding area, weakening all those who don’t belong & strengthening those who do. Associated attributes = Insight & Perception.

There it is. This is the mysterious status effect that made her stumble and fall into a pile of ash. Which she is a little bitter about... But this description does soothe her mildly wounded ego. Krvavy didn’t (just) get startled by that notification popping up in front of her. No, this spell ‘strengthened’ her in some way, which in turn messed up her balance. Probably by making her use more force than expected when she tried to dash to the side. A stumble that could have been fatal had she not made it out of that swirling fireball’s path...

It is a little annoying that she can’t see how this spell strengthened her, but... alright. It is probably safe to assume that it didn’t boost her Dexterity – not by a lot at least – considering that she didn’t catch herself before slamming into the ground...

Guiding Gusts: Magical gusts of wind are summoned to guide projectiles to their target. Associated attributes = Dexterity & Perception.

And that’s the spell that let Beryl’s errant arrow hit the sketchy fire mage. Though it only got him in the thigh, so there are clearly some limitations on using it. Otherwise that arrow would have buried itself into somewhere a lot more fatal. Like his throat.

Leeching Sap: Nearby plants, or sprouting vines, spray sap onto the target that leeches Health and gifts it to the caster. Associated attributes = Endurance & Insight.

Oakflesh: Nature magic infuses your body, giving you the strength of the Great Oak to reduce damage taken. Associated attributes = Endurance & Toughness.

Shape Wood: Utilizing Nature magics you can shape wood & plants to your will, forcing them to take the desired form. Associated attribute = Endurance.

Three more spells that this Wood Elf woman didn’t use during that fight. Probably. Maybe she had Oakflesh active? Though that almost feels like it would have just been a waste of mana. Krvavy very much doubts that it’d increase fire resistance – it may even decrease it for all she knows.

At least Shape Wood explains Beryl’s bark armour. She grew it herself.

Sinking Soil: Earthen magic loosens the soil and transforms it into a sucking mire, hindering the movements of all those caught within it. Associated attributes = Willpower & Toughness.

And this explains why the sketchy fire mage sunk halfway into the ground. If not for that, then his magical heat ray would have definitely hit Krvavy. And considering how easily he reduced this section of the forest to ash... it almost certainly would have burned straight through her.

Which probably would have one-shot her. Or at least made her wish that it did. Being able to experience every single sensation in this game isn’t always a good thing. But at least she killed him before he could try that a second time...

Krvavy pauses. She is suddenly very aware of the fact that there is a corpse directly beside where she is sitting. A corpse with her axe still lodged in its face. And one that her tail is pushing against.

Beryl doesn’t seem bothered by that. Nor does she particularly mind being slightly dragged to the side as the Drakling shuffles and scoots away from that corpse. Not very far, but far enough to not be in direct contact with it.

The barbarian quickly shifts her attention back to the information in front of her, looking over the last two spells on the list.

Tangling Brambles: Nature magic infuses the ground and causes brambles to burst out of it, hindering the movements of others & inflicting minor wounds. Associated attributes = Endurance & Perception.

Windborne Haste: The magic of the wind infuses your body, increasing the speed in which you can move & react. Associated attributes = Dexterity & Perception.

Both of which are ones that Beryl used earlier. The first is obviously how she was summoning all those thorny vines. Though it sounds much more like a crowd control spell despite how offensively she was using it... And the second explains how the Elf was able to move around so quickly.

Krvavy’s gaze lifts to the top of this busy sheet. To its final section: Traits. Most of which are quite clearly stat related, so... might as well get those ones over with first. There shouldn’t be anything surprising about them.

Deft Dexterity II: Increases Dexterity by 10% and greatly strengthens its effect on Stamina Regeneration. Associated attribute = Dexterity.

Endure & Adapt I: Increases Endurance by 2.5% and greatly strengthens the effect it has on Stamina. Associated attribute = Endurance.

Insightful Mind I: Increases Insight by 5%, strengthens the effect it has on Total Mana, and it now affects Mana Regeneration. Associated attribute = Insight.

Mighty Missiles I: Increases Might by 2.5% and greatly strengthens the effect it has on the Damage dealt by projectiles. Associated attribute = Might.

Perception & Attention II: Increases Perception by 10% and greatly strengthens its effect on Stamina & Mana Regeneration. Associated attribute = Perception.

Tough as Nails I: Increases Toughness by 2.5% and greatly strengthens the effect it has on Health and Resistances. Associated attribute = Toughness.

Will & Determination I: Increases Willpower by 2.5% and greatly strengthens the effect it has on Mana. Associated attribute = Willpower.

The fact that there seem to be so many different types of these stat milestone traits is... interesting. Though it does make sense. There are quite a few variables at play here – the size of the percentage bonus, how strongly each one effects the total value and regeneration rate of Health, Stamina, and Mana, as well as extra buffs like increased damage or resistances – so there are a lot of possible combinations.

But what about those two obviously nature themed traits?

Heart of the Woods: Through Druidic rituals, this Wood Elf has strengthened her connection to nature.

Natures Kin: The wild Wood Elves are in tune with nature, resulting in animals normally ignoring their presence unless threatened.

Huh. Okay... Natures Kin is a racial trait, just like Krvavy’s Drakling Rage, but that other one... Is it tied to this Elf’s class? She is a ‘Druidic’ Ranger...

That would be something to ask Beryl about. But... not right now. Krvavy can’t keep ignoring that very last trait, standing atop all the others. She can guess where it came from. And its presence here is... it is making her a little nervous.

Consuming Love: An intense love has completely consumed Beryl’s very being; you are the sole purpose in her life.

Fuck.

Krvavy’s heart sinks, her stomach twisting and turning in on itself.

There is no doubt in her mind: this is definitely the reason why Beryl is acting so... obsessively lovey-dovey. It is definitely something the collar – that magical, instant orgasm slave collar – gave this poor Elf. Which is a problem. Because this isn’t a status effect, like bleeding was. And it isn’t a debuff either. It wouldn’t be here if that was the case. It wouldn’t be a trait.

Is Beryl’s current state... permanent?

“Is everythin’ okay?” The tomboyish Elf in question innocently speaks up, the faintest bit of concern in her otherwise friendly face.

Maybe the trait would disappear if the collar is removed...?

“What happens if we take that thing off?” Krvavy asks, her tone perhaps a bit too harsh. She can’t help but glare down at that heavy and metallic band. Even if it is mostly blocked by both of Beryl’s arms and her own firmly held hand.

Beryl’s concern visibly grows, before being poorly buried beneath an unconvincingly innocent smile. “Nothin’ at all.” It doesn’t sound like that is a lie, but... her long and pointed ears twitch and fidget all the same.

The barbarian’s brow furrows and her eyes narrow. “So even without it on you’d still keep acting the same as you are now? All lovey-dovey and affectionate? You won’t be free from whatever it has done to you?”

The tanned Elf winces, looking ashamed and embarrassed. Her ears droop down and she turns her gaze away. “Figured tha’ out, did ya...?”

“I’m not an idiot.”

“Ah didn’t...!” The Wood Elf woman flinches as if she was just slapped across the face. “Ah didn’t say ya were!”

Krvavy bites her tongue, hoping that bit of discomfort and pain will help her keep calm. “It gave you a trait.” She dryly points out.

“Oh.” Beryl blinks rather owlishly. “Aye... right... o’ course...” The tomboy trembles faintly, her fingers squeezing around Krvavy’s hand as she continues to cling onto it. “Ah’m... sorry.” Embarrassment and shame drips from the enslaved Elf’s tone as she gazes up at the barbarian looming above her with slightly watery eyes. “Ah wasn’t tryin’ ta trick ya, Ah just... Ah just... Ah just love ya so much!”

It is a struggle, but... Krvavy resists the urge to sigh. “Be honest. Is there any way to free you from that collar?”

The tanned tomboy looks saddened and rather hurt by that question. “Tha’ dreadful man should ‘ave a key fer it somewhere on ‘im. But... Ah know tha’ is not wha’ ya mean.” She almost looks apologetic as the next few words pass through her lips. “As far as Ah’m aware... nothin’ can change wha’ it ‘as done ta me. Nothin’ beyond my life bein’ cut short and my soul bein’ undone. Though at tha’ point...”

Great.

Just great.

Another encounter, another woman to bring home...

Now, Krvavy isn’t exactly against that. A small part of her is quite happy, in fact. But a much larger part of her is simply just annoyed. At this situation. And at the developers even more. Those damn degenerates... They just had to set all of this up... handing her an Elf slave on a silver platter...

And, if Krvavy was being entirely honest, she is also a little annoyed with herself.

Because she isn’t exactly resisting this new arrangement. She isn’t turning Beryl down. She isn’t refusing to take this Elf as her slave. Not that she even could at this point. Trying to reject the poor woman would almost certainly do absolutely nothing except upset her... But still. Krvavy has pretty quickly accepted what has happened.

Though, to be fair, there really isn’t anything that she can do about all of this.

Not if what Beryl said is true. But Krvavy has no reason to not believe the Elf. And not just because of the whole ‘magically enforced slave who is deeply, even if not genuinely, in love with her’ thing. No, Beryl clearly has at least an idea as to how that collar functions – why else would she have acted like looking at Krvavy was a mistake, moments before she began to cum away her free will? – so if she says that it isn’t possible...

The barbarian shakes her head.

“Are you alone out here?” Krvavy slowly and cautiously asks. She can guess the answer, considering the situation they’re in, but it doesn’t hurt to know for sure.

“Aye. Besides ya... o’ course.” Beryl replies, smiling nervously and just generally looking like she is expecting to hear some bad news at any moment. “Ah’ve got no one else. Not anymore. So ya’ve no need ta worry about anyone misunderstandin’ wha’ ‘appened ‘ere and tryin’ ta seek revenge fer... fer ya ‘avin’ graciously claimed me.”

Krvavy idly gnaws on the inside of her cheek. Well... no point in putting this off any longer. “If that’s the case... then how would you like to come home with me?”

Silence hangs in the air for just a fraction of a second.

“Oh~!” Abruptly and without warning, Beryl launches herself upwards. Kind of. “Thank ya, thank ya, thank ya~!” The tomboyish Elf wiggles and squirms in excited joy, her arms tightly wrapped around Krvavy’s waist as she buries her face... between the barbarian’s bare breasts. Which are still coated in ash and soot. Not that she seems to care... “Thanmkh yha shohh muchh~!”

Unsure of what else she could do, Krvavy awkwardly gives the Elf a pat on the head.