Worlds' Strongest

by Simon Archer

  She simply held her hair out of the way, letting me reach around her to unwrap the binding. I went slow to avoid seeming like I was excited to get her naked or anything. My hands grazed her breasts as I pulled off the cotton wrapping. I swallowed hard and took another deep breath to keep myself under control.

  Finally, the rest of the wrapping fell off. I rolled the whole thing into a messy ball as she turned to face me, bare-chested. I glanced down at my hands, getting a pretty good look at her chest, before looking back up and holding the cloth out to her.

  “Here.”

  She reached up to take the binding, her fingers slowly closing around it against the palm of my hand. I wanted to watch her. I wanted to see her movements, to stare at her chest, to look at her body, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from hers.

  I never consciously decided what to do next. Without much thought, I brought my other hand up to her neck, gently stroking it from the base up to the bottom of her jaw. She didn’t pull away or push me off. Instead, she leaned into me. I felt her close the gap between our bodies, gently leaning against me. Once she did that, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.

  There was no hesitation on her part. The second I kissed her, she responded in kind. One of her hands rested against my chest, and the other slid around the back of my neck, pulling me closer.

  I wrapped my other arm around her back, mesmerized by the feeling of her bare skin. I drew circles on her skin with my fingers as I kissed her deeper. Her lips parted against mine, and I felt her tongue tickle my bottom lip.

  Her hand traveled down my chest and grabbed the bottom of my shirt. As soon as she started to lift it, I reached down to pull it off myself, only separating from her to get it over my head. I kissed her again, feeling drawn to her like a magnet, and dropped my shirt on the ground next to her clothes.

  I wanted her. I wrapped my arms around her before pulling her up to wrap her legs around my waist. She held me tight and kissed me fiercely, lacing her fingers through my hair. I carried her over to her bed and gently laid her down, all the while never separating my lips from hers.

  My hand traveled along her hips and up her waist. Her body shuddered beneath my touch, all the while lifting itself to press further into my palm. I moved my hand to caress her breast. She moaned beneath me. At that sound, I felt a hot wave of desire rip through me, drawing me closer to her and magnifying my longing.

  As if she read my mind, I felt her hands pull at the waistband of my trousers and untie the drawstring. I let go of her only long enough to finish the job and remove them completely. She was quick to follow suit, sliding her panties off. She was so graceful with every movement, as though this were some choreographed dance. That thought brought a smile to my face as I kissed her again, harder.

  “Elle,” I whispered between kisses. The next thing I knew, she rolled over, so she was on top of me, running her hands down my chest.

  I caressed her shoulder, ran my hand through her hair, stroked her chest, anything to feel her. I throbbed with desire for every inch of her. Just as I felt like I would die if I didn’t have her, I felt her lips pull away from mine.

  She kissed my neck. It was as though I was struck with lightning at the touch of her lips. She lingered in one spot for a mere moment, traveling down my neck to my chest. Her kisses were gentle, but that didn’t change the fact that every one ignited a flame of longing within me.

  I nearly shivered with every kiss as they got lower and lower. She made her way down my chest, across my stomach, and to my hips. At that, I did shiver. She slowed her pace. Every second became an eternity of almost fulfilled desire and impatient hunger.

  If she knew how badly I wanted her, and she must have, then she got a kick out of tormenting me. She kissed down the side of my hips, then paused, moving to the bottom of the inside of my thigh. She began to move up, her kisses leaving lingering rings of cold amongst the fire burning throughout my entire body. I swallowed hard, steadying myself so I didn’t shake beneath her touch.

  Finally, she offered relief.

  She took me in her mouth. I moaned as her lips closed around my cock. She began to move her head up and down, thankfully at a more gratifying pace than the one she’d been teasing me with. I reached down to stroke her hair. Pleasure built with every movement, every time I felt the end of my member press against the back of her throat.

  Just when I felt like I was about to come, I sat up, placing my hand beneath her chin, guiding her up to meet me. I kissed her again through labored breathing. I held her face for a moment, relishing in the feeling of her lips against mine, before I pushed her back, so she was lying on the bed once again.

  “Ren,” she said impatiently. Her breasts rose and fell with every breath. I pulled back for a moment, taking in the sight of her. Everything about her was beautiful, the curves of her waist, her chest, her lips, and the way her hips gently floated above the bed, searching for fulfillment.

  For a second, I considered taking the chance to tease her the way she’d done to me, but my own desire for her was too overwhelming. I gave in quickly to the temptation she offered.

  Elle moaned as I slid into her. I took a deep breath as the pleasure of her body warmed every inch of mine. I moved in and out of her, a shiver running through my body as I felt how wet she was.

  “Ren,” she moaned my name, which sent a fire raging through me. I sped up slightly. As I did, her breath aligned with my movements. I gasped when I felt her walls contract around me.

  As I moved in her, I reached down to massage her clit. She let out a deep moan, gripping the sheet beside her as she shivered. I moved my fingers about twice the speed of my hips, my breathing growing heavier. I didn’t feel any physical exhaustion, rather I was just overcome by pleasure.

  Her moans became shorter and higher as she grew closer to climax. I thrusted faster, harder. I could feel myself reaching a breaking point, about to explode, but I waited and held back until her voice broke down into breathy gasps. Once she finished, she squeezed her muscles around my member once again. That was enough to push me over the edge. Finally, I released into her, letting out a low moan.

  When I was empty, I leaned down and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms lazily around my neck, pulling me down to lie on top of her. I brushed one hand through her hair, stroking the side of her breast with the other. I pulled back from the kiss to roll over so that I was next to her, laying my head on the bed next to hers.

  She rolled onto her side and looked at me. Her eyes were just as encapsulating as before. I moved my hand to stroke her cheek with my thumb, trailing it down her jaw, then up to trace the shape of her lips. I watched them pull into a sweet smile, and couldn’t help but smile back at her. We laid there for a moment before I closed my eyes, leaning in to kiss her one more time.

  15

  About half a week later, we were finishing our morning post-meditation warm-up and getting ready to haul buckets full of water around the patio when August stopped us.

  “You two have both done exceptionally well the past few days. I’m impressed with your progress, yours especially Ren.”

  “Thank you, sir.” I bowed my head out of respect, and Elle did the same.

  “Thank you, uncle.”

  “In place of training today, I’m going to send you on some errands,” August said, then paused a moment. “Well, one errand, really. I’d like you to do some hunting, in Osai, not Fetter. Usually, I’d go to the butcher, but I think it could be good practice for Ren.”

  “Uncle, I’m a fighter, not a hunter.” Elle seemed surprised at the request.

  “Yes,” he nodded, “but if there’s a chance that the two of you have more traveling ahead of you, you’ll need survival skills as much as combat skills.”

  She hesitated, but finally nodded.

  “Wait,” I frowned, “sorry. What are we doing?”

  “You’re going to take the spear, she’s going to take the bow, and the two of you are going to hunt a week’s worth
of food.” August smiled confidently.

  “Um… Alright.” I rubbed the back of my head. “What animals are we hunting?”

  “Whatever you want to eat,” he shrugged. “Osai has rabbits, deer, foxes, pinters, treefurs…”

  I sighed, resisting the urge to shake my head. Just when I started to feel like I could get used to this place, someone would throw out a new word or creature I had to learn.

  And that was that. Within an hour, I found myself crouching behind a bush in the forest. Elle swore it was a different forest than the one we’d gotten lost in a week ago, but I could have sworn they looked identical. I had the spear which was about four and a half feet tall, including the blade, flat against the ground, so it wasn’t sticking up for something to see.

  Elle laughed softly under her breath. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and raised an eyebrow.

  “Can I help you?”

  “No, but I can help you.” She shook her head. “You can move your spear. You’ll never pick it up fast enough like that.”

  “What should I do then?” I asked.

  “You just have to hold it like you’re ready to strike until the time comes,” she explained.

  “Whatever you say, Nickel Class.” I shrugged and picked up the spear, struggling to angle it without hitting either of us in the face or getting it stuck on leaves.

  Elle chuckled and rolled her eyes, refocusing her attention on the forest in front of us. Suddenly, I sensed a shift in her energy, and she tensed up, tapping her elbow against mine. She motioned for me to remain silent before pointing through the bush and closing her eyes.

  I hesitated but followed suit. I could See my immediate surroundings, and I’d been working on Seeing beyond that. Without actually moving, I envisioned looking around and stepping over the bush. Several feet away, there was a bright, ginger-colored fox.

  I heard the tense stretching of a bowstring and turned quickly, opening my eyes as Elle aimed through the bush at the fox. Panicked, I grabbed her elbow and shook my head.

  “What?” she mouthed silently.

  I bit my lip. I wanted to say she shouldn’t kill the fox, but to be fair, the only reason I could come up with was that it was sort of cute. Our other options were deer and rabbits, and I was likely to run into the same problem with them. I took a deep breath and just shrugged, nodding at her to go ahead.

  I closed my eyes to avoid seeing anything this time and heard her draw the bow and release the arrow.

  “Shit!” Elle hissed. I flinched at the energy coming off of her.

  I blinked and looked up, glancing over the bush to see the arrow stuck in a tree and the fox nowhere to be found. I couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Obviously, we had to hit something sooner or later, but for the moment, I was glad the fox walked away.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “I’m just used to larger targets,” she huffed. “I use arrows against people, maybe large animals. I thought hitting something a fraction of the size would be easier.”

  “Hey, it’s alright,” I smiled. “At least you know how to use your weapon. I have no idea how to use my big pointy stick.”

  “You know how to use your stick quite well.” Elle grinned slightly and raised an eyebrow. I felt myself blush a little and laughed, shaking my head.

  “Glad you think so.”

  The morning after Elle and I first slept together, I found myself worried she regretted it or would act like nothing happened. I was pleased to find out I was wrong. Elle was a stickler about focusing when we were training, but during our free time, the connection was comforting. She’d leave me my personal space when I needed it, but outside of that, the time we spent together was much more intimate than before. We’d slept in the same bed every night since then.

  Being around her had a comforting effect on me, and I couldn’t help but feel like I had the same effect on her. Even during training, I found focusing and exerting myself for long hours easier.

  As we laughed, I saw something move over her shoulder. I fell silent, holding a finger in front of my lips to encourage her to quiet down. She stopped, turning to see whatever was moving. My eyes focused, and I got a better look at the flash of an animal as it moved behind the trees.

  I dropped the spear and shot to my feet. When I couldn’t see it anymore, I darted through the trees, hoping not to lose the creature. The flash of light honey-colored fur and golden-brown hair were unmistakable.

  I ran a few yards before slowing to a stop. I couldn’t see anything. I wasn’t even sure which direction she’d gone, if it even was her.

  “Ren!” Elle ran up behind me. “What the hell, what’s wrong?”

  My eyes lingered in the direction I thought I’d seen the huntress’s horse for a second before finally turning back to her. “Nothing. I’m sorry, I thought I saw something. I wanted to see where it was going, but I lost it.”

  “Okay,” she nodded slowly. “Well, maybe it was time to move, anyway. Here.”

  She handed me the spear and walked past me further into the trees. Unlike Fetter, Osai didn’t have a footpath. According to Elle, this was a good thing because if there was a path, the animals would know where to go to avoid us. As it was, they were more likely to go about their normal routines.

  We walked for a while until the trees broke into a wide clearing. We stayed behind the line of trees and bushes, aiming for the open area.

  “So what is a pinter?” I asked after we sat in silence for a while.

  “What?” she scoffed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what is it?” I thought I’d made myself clear, but maybe these things were just so common that it sounded odd for anyone to ask.

  “Are you saying you’ve never seen one?” Elle clarified.

  “No,” I shook my head.

  “What else haven’t you seen?”

  “Um, a… What did he say?” I thought for a moment. “That other thing?”

  “What, a deer?” She smirked.

  “No, the other one!” It was coming back to me. “The plant, or tree-”

  “Treefur?” She laughed quietly, trying to keep her voice down.

  “Yeah.” I smiled, seeing her laugh.

  “California.” Elle rolled her eyes. “A pinter is a mid-sized mammal. They like to stay near water. It has light fur and a sharp tail-”

  “Whoa, whoa,” I shook my head. “What do you mean? A sharp tail? A mammal with a sharp tail?”

  She laughed at my disbelief. “Yes.”

  “Alright.” I sighed before shrugging.

  “They don’t have a lot of fat, so they’re not popular to hunt, but if you find one big enough, the meat is good,” she explained. “A treefur is a big cat-like animal that clings to trees. Its fur mimics the appearance of bark so they can be hard to spot.”

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath. Those seemed, well, unbelievable, but so did magical alternate universes about two weeks ago. “Hold on. What’s that?”

  I lowered my voice and knelt down to make sure I wasn’t visible. Elle stepped behind a tree, closing her eyes. Something was moving across the clearing. It stopped just shy of the treeline, but I could still make it out. It was a deer. The fur was a solid russet-brown shade. It looked to be near four feet tall and full-grown, but its antlers were small, like they were just growing back in.

  I looked up at Elle. She glanced down at me with her eyes closed. It took me a second to remember she could still see me.

  Silently, I mouthed the words, “What do we do?”

  Her eyes fluttered open, and she nodded down at her bow. That made me feel better. I was not exactly looking forward to stabbing things with a spear if I could avoid it. She silently stepped out from the side of the tree and drew her arrow.

  16

  A few hours later, we walked out of the forest, having had more success than I’d hoped, given that neither of us was a trained hunter. I attributed it to luck, but Elle seemed to think it was skill. She wounded the de
er, but we could follow it, and she finished the animal off with the spear. She spent the next half hour showing me how to use a bow and arrow. After that, we found a body of water, and there, I shot a fox, and Elle bagged a treefur.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Elle when she headed away from the direction of August’s house.

  She’d tied the legs of the deer together and was carrying it by herself while I carried the fox and treefur. Besides the fact that I was tired and ready to rest, I was also not enthusiastic about carrying dead animals, so I wasn’t interested in a detour at the moment.

  “We’re taking them to the butcher.” She continued walking around the back of the nearest building.

  “Why?” I asked. “We caught them. I thought they were ours?”

  “They are.” I heard the slightest hint of a giggle in her voice, as though my questions were somehow silly. “I certainly don’t want to have to clean all these, and August definitely won’t. We take them to the butcher, and she prepares everything, then we can pick it up later. Her brother is a tanner, so he skins everything and makes sure the fur is used properly.”

  “Oh,” I blinked, “so it’s like that ‘use every part of the animal’ thing?”

  “It is here. It’s not as important to people in Eon, but the people of Grave are very specific about not letting anything go to waste,” Elle explained as we walked.

  “So the bones and horns…?”

  “We use the bones in a few different ways.” She ticked them off on her fingers as she listed them. “We extract marrow, and larger bones can make weapons. The antlers work well for tools. These are small, but they’ll still find a use for them.”

  “Alright.” I nodded. I guess that made me feel a little better about the whole thing. “So why are we taking a longer route? Isn’t the butcher through the center of town?”

  Elle giggled again. “Yeah, but no one wants to see dead animals being hauled through the middle of the road.”