Depthless Hunger

Zae Zin Nim gradually woke up lying against the man she loved. For a while she just lingered there, happy and pleasantly sore and warm.

Thoughts returned after the sensations. Could the girl she had once been have ever imagined what her life would become? Married to a barbarian and also a woman somehow, using a chakra ritual on an altar in Rosemount while being pursued by demons. It would have sounded like a fantastical story or the ravings of a madman.

Everything had been intimate and personal, but now she realized that a great burden had been lifted from her. She could still be threatened, like any woman, but she was no longer a yin virgin who vile men would want to pluck. Even though Kai hadn't seemed to care about her virginity, she was still glad she had given it to him. And everything she had been gathering up for so long had been harvested by the two of them, yin and yang flowing together and producing immense new power.

Settling into a comfortable position against his chest, Zae Zin Nim closed her eyes and instead examined her soul.

Name: Zae Zin Nim

Total Power: 951

Cultivation: Earth Soul 4% (502)

*Heavenly Sash: Cultivation +10% (50)

Coldfire Corona: 84 (94)

Blackblood Physique Level: E-9 (107)

Blackblood Shadow (+50)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

>

Her soul was so much more complicated than a pure cultivator now, yet she didn't feel tainted. Most importantly, all the yin chakra she had been gathering had been formed into the Pure Yin Shroud, which burned underneath her dantian peacefully. Qi, mana, and chakra in harmony, creating something new.

The only surprise was that her Coldfire Corona had taken another leap, despite how slowly it had been advancing. Their union and the Kama Altar had been almost entirely focused on chakra, yet now that she thought about it, there had been a flow of mana as well. She almost giggled as she realized that Kai had filled her with mana. That was the sort of innuendo that Omilaena would think of.

He hadn't taken more than he had given, so she would receive most of the benefits from the Kama Altar. Suddenly she felt a surge of worry that she had been selfish - Kai had certainly needed to be patient with her and had prioritized her pleasure over his. If he had also lost out in power, or given more than he received...

She pushed herself up enough to examine him, watching his soul as well as his massive chest rising and falling in slow breaths. Soon she breathed a sigh of relief. Kai had also benefited from the ritual, just as she had hoped. His cultivation had leapt more than she expected and she looked forward to the day he advanced through the Body Refinement stage.

But for now, she didn't need to think too much about the details. Zae Zin Nim touched his chest, hesitantly at first, then with a caress as she remembered that none of this was inappropriate anymore. Kai stirred and finally awoke. Once he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he smiled down at her.

"I..." She couldn't endure those gentle eyes anymore and instead hid her face against his chest. "I'm bad at saying this sort of thing, but... I love you, Kai... I love you so much."

"I love you too." He said it so easily, so assuredly. His hand ran down her back to settle at the small of her waist and she no longer squirmed.

"I want to... I want to do a lot of things, but... I also want to rest a little longer."

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"As long as you want." Kai kissed her cheek and held her closer. She sighed and drifted back into happy slumber.

.

..

.

Kai held Zae Zin Nim until she was asleep again and then gently eased out from under her. He'd been relaxed in the afterglow for a long time, but now he was filled with restless energy. When he sat up on the edge of the altar, he was prepared to pick up the robe, but somehow the Beggar King's Robes had eaten it and instead moved to wrap around his waist.

By the time he stood up, they had shifted into a pair of pants. Not anything that would impress nobles, but the black and gray clothing was so comfortable. With a thought, he could make the cloth flow into a shirt as well, though he remained bare-chested for the time being. Once again, he felt like fate had taken a shot at him and missed: the Beggar King's Robes were damn convenient.

Nothing had been as complex or strange as he'd feared: they hadn't needed any weird sex positions or chakra techniques. Zae Zin Nim had made a few references to the effects, but he had remained solely focused on the two of them. Now, for the first time, he actually examined the results, focusing on the changes in his soul.

Name: Kai Clanless

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Total Power: 489

Monstrous Hunger - XII (mu)

Cultivation: Body Refinement 74% (116)

Savage Heart: 7 (74)

Physique Level: D-6 (230)

Beggar King's Robes: +1 (5)

Soul Level: 8 (64)

Behemoth's Heart - VIII (theta)

Thunderbird's Wings - III (gamma)

Direboar's Strength - XII (mu)

Isulfr's Bite - VIII (theta)

Tyrant's Claw - IX (iota)

Baleful Breath - IV (delta)

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Void Gaze - VI (zeta)

Sahagin's Soul - IX (iota)

Mutefang's Stealth - X (kappa)

Lizarkyl's Tail - V (epsilon)

Direurchin's Spikes - V (epsilon)

Wallcrawler's Feet - III (gamma)

Abominalgum - I (alpha)

Rose Piranha - II (beta)

Bloodtrap - III (gamma)

Banchlain - V (epsilon)

Slime's Immortality - I (alpha)

>

Amusingly, he'd gained a Physique Level - she had been wanting to boost her strength and apparently some of that had flowed into him as well. The Savage Heart had also grown, through he didn't see how it couldn't have, given all the chakra. But by far the largest jump had been in his cultivation - he'd gained more qi from her that morning than he had in a year of cultivation.

The warmth faded as he realized that he understood her fears a little more now. There were apparently some men on her continent who chased virgins for these exact benefits, even though there were diminishing returns from dual cultivation.

As he stared down at Zae Zin Nim's form curled up in the sheets, the idea disgusted him. The two of them could see what benefits they might gain from dual cultivation, and he was curious what Omilaena might add, but he wanted to focus on their relationship. He was willing to bet that focused passion could outpace people who jumped from fling to fling.

Even though they'd talked about everything, there was a part of him that was still apprehensive about Omilaena. All his best relationships had been one on one, and his past experiences... no, better not to think about that and get wrapped up in anxiety.

Instead he could just go talk to Omilaena. Kai ambled down the stairs, the relaxation in his core suffusing the rest of him again. It had been a long and frustrating dry spell, but he was glad he'd waited. Better this than relationships that wouldn't work out in the end.

His leisurely pace lasted until Omilaena pushed through the door. There were monks ineffectually trying to hold her back, but he barely saw them compared to the urgent look in her eyes.

"They found us again," she said. "Not sure how, but we don't have a lot of time."

"Shit." Kai grabbed two of the nearest monks and pulled them up to eye level. "There are demons coming here. Evacuate or people will die."

"They... they wouldn't..." The head monk stammered. "This place is an ancient heritage of Traebor, even the demons use it..."

"Don't count on that," Omilaena snapped. They both glanced toward Zae Zin Nim, but she seemed to have heard and was shifting in the sheets. Better to buy her time, so they headed out.

By the time they left the Kama Altar building, the Beggar King's Robes had shifted to fully clothe him. The interior had been warm, but the wind outside was bracing. Worse, he could just see a growing speck on the horizon that had a demonic aura. Omilaena stepped up beside him grimly.

"You have any theories about how they're tracking us?" he asked.

"Theories, yes. Answers, no." Omilaena glanced over her shoulder toward the Altar. "It's possible that we lost their trail and the release of chakra drew them now. You were releasing a lot. At least I hope you were. Given the amount of time you two-"

"Is this really the time for that?"

She grinned over at him. "From now on, it's always the time. But really, I do think they have some other method of guessing at our location or they couldn't have gotten here so fast."

"Now that we've used the Altar, I'd like to just take them on." Kai looked around at all the couples and newlyweds in the area around the building. "This is a terrible place for a fight, though."

"Let's see how many fighters the demons have this time. We could lead them to a better location and then try to end things."

"Of course, this is even further in the center of the Commonwealth. They can keep summoning reinforcements."

"Let them come." Omilaena smiled at him and flipped a pair of needles around her hands. It wasn't physically intimate, she didn't even touch him, yet he felt united with her in a way he hadn't before.

Kai and Omilaena walked away from the main building to the clear space between it and the outer boundary. He'd hoped to potentially talk to the demons and burn more time, or even negotiate a more proper fighting location, but the demons attacked before they even arrived. They were flying in large palace-like vessels this time and he saw demonic arts users hurling fire and projectiles toward them.

Omilaena unleashed a swarm of needles, deflecting the physical projectiles. Kai swung his hand in a Tyrant's Claw that managed to sweep aside most of the fire and tore through one of the vessels. He launched himself toward the next with Thunderbird's Wings, tearing through the entire thing and sailing even higher.

From high in the air, he could see the entire battlefield more clearly. Civilians fleeing in terror as they realized what was happening, opponents scattering below from the fallen ships... and one more ship at a distance, holding back. Kai half-expected it to attack him at the apex of his jump, but it remained completely stationary.

When he landed amid the others, he tore through one of the weaker soldiers. It looked like the demons had brought a small army with them, including a number who were actually strong. When the others saw how easily he'd defeated one of them, they fell back... clearing a path for their leaders.

Anaelina had landed just outside the barrier around the building. When she stepped closer it seemed to repel her and she scowled. Several large men, each with over 600 Power, leapt at her command and charged into the stakes, battering them down. More concerningly, Kai saw a pure demon standing behind Anaelina. The demoness had a shroud that disguised her true power, but her veins pulsed with green chakra and she felt strong.

"Oh Kai..." Anaelina's eyes glowed brighter. "You look even more delectable than before..."

It might have been intimidation, but Kai still set his feet in a cautious stance. Her new ability seemed to force lust into his mind, so it wasn't a foregone conclusion that he could resist it even now. Fortunately he had Omilaena beside him, so she should be able to handle things, provided they could manage their opponents' superior numbers.

They all struck at once, Omilaena and the green demoness engaging with one another while Anaelina leapt at him. As soon as she was within range, the silver haze flowed into his mind and the desire began to rise... but there was something different, a clarity that had never been there before.

As soon as she was within range, Kai lunged out. His bite barely missed her and his claws cut her leg, sending her tumbling back. Anaelina hit the ground hard, barely managing to get up and staring up at him.

"Looks like you finally indulged... but do you really think that will save you?"

Her technique hadn't seemed to work so far, but he decided to remain cautious.

When he opened his mouth to reply, the green-veined demoness moved with blinding speed. She crossed the distance between them, fingers extending into bright green claws - if not for his work on a speed half-phase, they would have torn into his throat. As it was, Kai barely dodged and felt her next strike tear through his robes and rake across his chest.

Omilaena struck immediately, warding her off with a cloud of blue smoke... except something was wrong, the new demoness was pushing into it unconcerned. Was she a poison user as well?

Kai realized that at the same time he felt the weakness in his limbs. Her raking claws had injected him with poison - Behemoth's Heart was already purging it, but this poison was too potent to shrug off instantly. For several heartbeats he was going to be vulnerable.

Something silver shimmered at his side and Kai barely dodged Anaelina. She'd gotten beside him and Omilaena was still fighting the poison-user in the cloud, so his only choice was to-

"Don't touch him, you bitch!" Zae Zin Nim tore through the wall of the building, sending bricks flying in all directions, and leapt at them in righteous fury.