Critical Misclass

CHAPTER 31 - Heat of the Night

As if Vanndrenvar wasn't already lacking in energy and excitement, we discovered on our walk back to St. Ager's Pub that the city apparently closed for business around sundown. There were even less streetlamps than I expected, as if they weren't really needed. Even our footsteps seemed too loud against the hushed backdrop of the city at night, and I found myself prepared to apologize when someone would inevitably complain about the racket we were making.

There were some exceptions, which I was thankful for, because it made me feel less like we were in some kind of post-apocalyptic scenario. Even then, these places only stood out in comparison to the rest of the city. We saw some restaurants, from which we could barely make out people having conversations at polite levels. We passed one inn, which didn't have much noise coming from it, but was notable in that we could see light coming through multiple windows.

Finally, there were the pubs, bars, and taverns. My assumption was that these drinking establishments would be livelier than any other place in the city, while still lacking the kind of commotion and vigor that one might expect from a place with a variety of drunken fantasy species. Unsurprisingly, it turned out that I was right. I'm guessing that the only reason why these places were allowed to remain in business is because they weren't located anywhere near residences.

St. Ager's was the same way. We could hear the noise from a good distance, but it was still not especially loud.

"Just doesn't make any sense." Ves's tail was swishing around in irritation. "If an inn halfway between here and Perrenbrook can put silencing enchantments on all their rooms, and this city seems to hate noise so much, why not enchant everything?"

Thia sighed. "It would seem that Vanndrenvar takes a certain pride in self-control. Or, mayhaps, in enforcing high standards."

We entered the pub to find it more crowded than expected, with most of the barstools and tables taken up by what appeared to be the dregs of society... by Vanndrenvar standards. I'd had teachers with more wrinkled clothing and disheveled hair than the people currently in the pub.

It also turned out that the heavy stone walls of Vanndrenvar did do a pretty decent job of dampening sound. Even though it still felt restrained, St. Ager's was easily the loudest place I'd been to on Fielende. As much as I was tempted to reenact a sci-fi cantina scene, the relative commotion of the pub gave me an idea. I tapped Ves on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear. She promptly recoiled.

"Gah!Not so close! I've got pretty good hearing, you know?"

"My bad. I just wanted to run something by you..." I shared my idea with Ves, while Thia looked curious about what we were discussing.

Ves grinned and held out a hand. "Good idea. Pay for my drinks?"

I smirked and fished out a couple of coins for her. We had all been sharing our money so far, so I was sure that Ves was just being cheeky. With her ears perked up, she practically skipped over to the bar and got Grumzzak's attention. I turned my attention to Thia, who had a look of suspicion, complete with a raised eyebrow. I took her hand in mine and gave it a gentle nudge.

"Hey, let's go drop our stuff off upstairs." I led the way, not wanting to look back and see if Thia saw through my transparent ruse to get her alone. I maneuvered us through the patrons to make our way behind the bar, gave Grumzzak a quick wave as we passed through the door, then jogged up the too-rickety-for-my-tastes staircase and into the spare room.

Just as planned, the noise from the pub's main room downstairs could be heard clear as day: perfect to drown out any sounds we might make in here. We had laid out our bedrolls earlier, knowing that there was a good chance that we would come back here exhausted from studying and walking. I slumped the pack of plenty off of my shoulders and onto the floor next to my bedroll, then turned around, only to find Thia standing right behind me.

I was crazy about the way she would get close and look up at me, and it was obvious that she was aware of that. "You know that there was no need to devise some reason for us to be alone." Her arms slid around my torso like a pair of snakes, ready to constrict.

"It's not exactly like that." I embraced her in return, feeling her deceptively-delicate frame in my arms. "I just wanted to make sure Ves knew what was going on. Back at Paddorn, I promised you that we would have time just for each other, but then, this morning..."

Thia giggled. "I admit that I was not expectinganythingto happen at that... place," she said with more than a little scorn directed at the cold, bland, inn. "But I'm delighted that it did. It was thrilling." Her body shuddered with exhilaration. "I am earnestly awaiting the next opportunity for the three of us to collaborate like that again."

I leaned in to kiss her, and she met my lips as if she were trying to reach mine first. It would have been all-too easy for me to give into my urges and ignite the sort of passion that Thia and I had experienced in our previous dalliances, but I wanted this time to be special.

"I can't wait for that, either." Never before had I understated something so tremendously. "But tonight, it's just us, and we can finally take our time."

Thia released me, not breaking her intense eye contact. She bit her lower lip, making me weak in the knees, and slowly, deliberately, pulled off her dress. Her underwear wasn't as erotic or fancy as the black lingerie she wore for me a few days ago, but Thia would look sexy wearing a garbage bag.

Following her example, I removed my armor. By the time I had finished, Thia had also let down her hair, and was actively helping me undress, eager to take off the shirt and shorts I had been wearing underneath. We embraced again, kissing deeply, our tongues dancing together. As soon as we separated, I removed her bra, admiring her little nipples. Then I pulled down her panties, kissing her thighs in the process. I stroked the black scales that ran up the front of her legs, feeling how they went from thick and firm near the bottom to thin and smooth around her upper thighs.

Thia sighed blissfully, running a hand through my hair. While I was already down here, I couldn't resist a taste of her delicious nectar. I kissed my way over to her pussy, and was greeted by a single trickle, which I greedily lapped up. I needed more. My tongue delved between the folds of Thia's bare pussy, and she gripped my hair in response.

"Oh... Jeremy, I... I love how you do that... lick it all up..."

As arousing as it was to hear her say that, it was also weird hearing it amidst all of the noises coming from the pub. With my eyes closed - or my face between Thia's legs - it almost felt like we were doing this in public. Although... while I'm no exhibitionist, I would have a hell of a time declining an opportunity to taste Thia.

Thia guided my head up slightly. I knew what she was getting at, and my tongue found her clit so I could tease and lick it.

"Yes, Jeremy, yes, please!"

I could barely hear Thia's high-pitched whimpers amidst the discord coming from below us, but her body tensing and the flood that she gifted me was more than obvious. My cock was so hard that it was aching, but I had to clean up the mess I had helped Thia make.

Her grip loosened, and she took a shaky step backwards. I rose to my feet and she took my head in her hands, pulling me down for a kiss that could have woke me from a coma. The kiss broke, but a gossamer strand of her nectar still connected our lips. Noticing this, Thia ran her tongue over her gorgeous lips, then - her tongue still extended - rose on her tiptoes to lick all around my mouth.

She drove me absolutelywild.

But it was even more than that; looking at her beautiful face, her blue eyes, golden hair, warm brown skin... The way that she was looking back atme.... It made my heart race.

Her gaze began to drift south, and her hand soon followed. The feeling of her soft touch on my rigid shaft was nothing short of incredible. I knew I could just stand there and say nothing, and she would have my cock in her mouth within seconds. But that's not what I wanted right now.

"Thia, I-- I want-- ugh." I took a deep breath as she just gave me the sweetest smile, all while gently stroking my cock. None of that helped me get the words straight in my head. Even in the split-seconds when I could ignore the phenomenal sensations she was so gleefully providing, all I could think about was how much I cared for her, but I couldn't come up with the right way to tell her what I was really longing for in that moment.

"I'd like to have sex with you. Not like we did the other day." Thia's hand stopped, then slowly released my shaft. My face felt hot. Thia was such a warm, charming, woman, yet whenever we had a moment to spare, it was like her libido went into overdrive. This was not necessarily a problem! I just wanted to know if that's what our relationship would be like, or if we were actually able to share the kind of intimacy that Ves and I had when we had sex. "What I mean is: I'd like to... make love to you."

I had never said something like that out loud, and I felt a little ridiculous. But Thia - sweet, wonderful, Thia - felt differently. Tears were forming in the corners of her big eyes, and her lip was quivering. She sniffled, then pulled me in for another kiss, and I held her tight. When our lips separated, she nodded, giggled, and wiped a tear.

"I desire the same, Jeremy. Would you please make love to me?"

Before I could answer, she pulled away, and moved to lay down on my bedroll. In a moment of surprising vulnerability, Thia covered her breasts with one arm, and placed a hand over her mound.

"Be gentle with me," she breathed. It was all I could do to stop myself from leaping onto her. I knelt down, and helped her spread her legs. "But nottoogentle."

I got into position, then leaned down to kiss her again. It was different this time: softer, more tender. Thia moaned into my mouth, but it was less a moan of lust than it was of longing. I could have continued to make out with her all night, but we both wanted more. Guiding my member towards her waiting sex, I pushed into her, groaning as I felt her heat.

That wasn't hyperbole: her pussy was almost uncomfortably hot. She had felt noticeably warm when we had sex at the Paddorn Inn, but this was something else entirely.Now this really feels like I'm having sex with a dragongirl...

With each thrust, I became more comfortable with the heat - but as Thia moaned and held onto me, the temperature rose. Even her skin was starting to feel warmer. Sweat was dripping into my eyes. "You... you're not going to breathe fire, right?" I tried to say it playfully, but I was also genuinely curious if there was more to this than I already knew.

Thia was panting, but managed to get some words out. "If... I ever were... it would be now..."

With that, I took the rising heat as the compliment it clearly was, and grabbed her tight ass to help me thrust. Thia moaned. I pulled out just long enough to position her legs over my shoulders to enter her at a slightly different angle, but more importantly, so I could more easily slap her ass. That wasn't in my original plan for lovemaking, but Thia's cry of pure ecstasy confirmed that I had made the right choice.

"Jeremy, I-- I'm almost--"

As if she needed to tell me: she felt hotter than ever, almost to the point of real discomfort. If I had ever found myself in a situation anything like this on Earth, I would know well enough to stop before I could get seriously hurt, but since I (and both of my girlfriends) could use healing magic? That's a different story.Gotta... find a spell... for heat resistance...

Thia grabbed me harder, and threw her head back with a loud moan. With that cue, I stopped holding back and, within a few pumps, released my ejaculate into her searing sheathe. My little soldiers died doing what they loved.

I pulled out as quickly as I could without seeming disrespectful, and collapsed next to Thia. She was panting and sweating, although not as much as me. I flinched as her hand, still warm, lightly touched my cock. One faint glow later, and I was feeling as good as new... give or take some aches from Thia's healing spell.

"Thank you." I wiped the sweat off my forehead. "That was... new."

"I grew up around so many other aevrana, and sometimes forget what is and isn't common knowledge. Especially when it comes to men from other worlds." She touched the side of my face tenderly, her hand feeling cooler by the minute. "Was it uncomfortable for you?"

I chuckled. "It got pretty intense by the end, but it seems like it's nothing I can't handle." I turned to give her a soft kiss. "Not long after we first met, you mentioned something about how aevrana feel stronger passion than others, right? Is that what this was?"

Thia shifted onto her side to better look at me, and I got a wonderful view of her perky breasts. "Yes! As much as I love to be well and trulyfucked... It is different than feeling true emotional passion."

"Thia..."

"I have always wanted to make love. Thank you, Jeremy, for introducing me to these feelings."

"Thank you, too. I--"

It suddenly hit me that it was quiet. Too quiet. Having the same revelation, Thia clapped a hand to her mouth and I instinctively held my breath.

Nothing happened for a moment. Then, clear as a bell, we heard an unfamiliar, gravely, voice from downstairs.

"So, are they done?"

The next sound we heard was Ves bursting into laughter.

CHAPTER 32 - Post-Performance

Thia and I reluctantly entered the taproom as the intoxicated crowd cheered as though we were minor celebrities. It always helped me to lean into moments like these, rather than try and explain myself and inevitably increase the humiliation, so I put on a big smile and waved at our accidental audience. For her part, Thia remained calm and dignified, her arm wrapped around mine.

Most of the patrons, either satisfied with their attempt to embarrass us - or who just didn't care much in the first place - went back to their drinking and conversations. A handful of others nearby were still having their fun, slapping me on the back, praising Thia for her performance, asking us when the next show would be, and so on. I nodded and smiled and Thia kept her chin up as we worked our way through the ever-so-hilarious drunks.

Ves was leaning back against the bar, mug in hand, with her cat-like grin. We sat on either side of her, and I asked what she was drinking.

"Ale." She struggled to even say that one word without laughing out loud. I didn't care at all if she did (especially because she already had), but enjoyed watching her try to hold it in.

I looked over at Thia, who nodded, then leaned over the bar to find Grumzzak. The goblin was cleaning some mugs. "Two ales, please." He nodded and I sat back, where Ves was waiting for me.

Her head kept turning between me and Thia, as if she were unsure who's reaction she was more interested in seeing. "So... anything interesting happen tonight?"

Thia gave her the faintest of smiles, but zero eye contact. "Thank you, Vestele. It was precisely what I needed."

Ves was about to reply, most likely with another snarky comment, based on her expression, but Grumzzak hefted himself up on his platform behind the bar with a grunt.

"Don't wants'ta be th' bearer o' bad news, but seems like th' ceiling here's not too, er, dense, and folks may've heard ya."

Thia gave him a deadpan stare. "Is that so."

"Yer the first people t'go up there besides me, and I never had a need ter go in there when th' pub's open. No idea it wuz so easy to hear things." He plunked down mugs of ale for me and Thia. "S'what I gets for building th' upper floor m'self."

In retrospect, it had been strange that the upper floor was made of wood, when everything else in Vanndrenvar seemed to be made of stone. Soundproofing aside, Grumzzak had done a pretty good job.

"Anyways... Miz Ves says yer didn't find too much at the library. Sorry 'bout that. What're yer gonna do next?"

I took a long swig of the decent-enough drink. "As far as our research goes... I don't know yet. And we also were hoping to learn more about our classes while we were here, too, but the way that people have been treating us when they see that we're adventurers..."

Ves lowered her mug. "And the way the librarian reacted when she saw magic."

Thia's eyes widened. "The complete lack of an Adventurer's Network is also quite odd."

"I'm just glad that you both find this as weird as me." I propped my chin on my hand, elbow resting on the bar. "It tells me that it's mostly unique to this city and not the whole world. Wait... this place isn't so bad. The pub, I mean. Maybe someone here knows something useful."

Ves's ears perked up. "Hey, yeah. Grumz! Is there anyone who could help us, or are they only like this when they're drinking?"

"Eh... this neighborhood's not so bad as th' others, s'far as I know. Still a lot o' pressure t'keep yer head down an' all that, but now'd be the best time t'chat with folks, I suppose."

Thia practically jumped off of her stool. "Could you please direct us to someone who may be fairly knowledgeable about the city?"

The goblin thought about this for a moment, then pointed towards the far opposite end of the taproom. "Iluriar, th' elf back there. Think he's been livin' here for four hun'red years o' so."

It was easy enough to spot the elven man through the crowd, thanks to my Rogue senses. He was at a small table with a halfling that was passed out, face down. I immediately recognized them as the dismal-looking pair who were already at the pub when we arrived that morning.

"Have they been here all day?"

Grumzzak shook his head. "Nah, Iluriar left fer work. He's a teacher, matter o' fact. Th' other guy's been here all day, though. Gotta kick'em out fer th' night soon."

A teacher? Sounds promising.Thia wisely thought to ask Grumzzak for another mug to give to the elf as a means of ingratiating ourselves to him, and we made our way through the room. I got the occasional slap on the back, and more than a few winks, from various patrons along the way.

Thia cleared her throat and held out the mug. "Pardon me... Mr. Iluriar?"

The elf slowly turned to look at Thia. He had dark hair that reached his shoulders, with only the occasional fleck of gray. His skin was smooth and blemish-free, but he had the eyes of a much older man, hinting at his true age. The expression on his face was that of someone who had given up, resigned to their fate.

"It's only 'mister' to my students." His words were soft and deliberate. "Andyouare clearly not my students."

Ves crossed her arms. "What doesthatmean?"

The elf's eyes met Ves's. "I only teach primary school."

"Oh."

My first thought was about how he was drinking both before and after a day of teaching kids, but then I noticed that he neither looked or sounded drunk - maybe tipsy, at best.Natural elven resistance, maybe?

Thia leaned down a bit, making it more obvious she was offering the mug to the dour elf. "Apologies, sir. We were merely hoping we could partake in some of your knowledge this evening. All we have to offer are drinks, but I pray that will be sufficient."

"An aevrana..." Iluriar accepted the mug from Thia. "It isn't often I see those of your ancestry in Vanndrenvar."

"I have come to realize why my family never visited. May we...?" Thia motioned to an open seat at the table.

"Ah, yes, of course, please sit."