Chapter 27 - 27 Good Night

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Good Night

Nexus' brows furrowed deeply; "How so?"

"We're all alike in terms of biology. But psychologically, and spiritually, we're all as different as different species of flowers in a valley. Every succubus had their own ability that is exclusive to them only. For example. . ."

She pressed her lips together in a short pause;

"Just as I can change and stretch my body, some other succubus might be able to sing seductive notes like sirens. Or maybe, some might be perfect in calligraphy, art, or dance. I've heard of a legendary succubus that had the ability to manipulate weapons. Madam Fontaine is said to be able to take on a hundred men at once- sexually of course."

A gloomy look suddenly clouded her face as a cock crowed woefully in the distance;

"My lord, I'm sorry you had to be saddled with a weak succubus like me," there was a twinge of sadness in her tone;

"It genuinely looks as if every other succubus has been blessed with wonderful abilities, except me. And sometimes, I can't help but feel some type of way about it."

When she stopped talking and lowered her head, he knew she was weeping silently.

Nexus recognized inferiority complex when he saw it, and it was written all over this succubus;

"Crystal," he called out softly;

"Don't say that. You're not weak, you're the farthest thing from weak. . ."

She was still whimpering softly. So, he stretched out his arm towards her, and cupped her chin in his palm. Gently, he raised her face towards his, and his gaze met her tear-filled eyes. They were laden with profound sadness that could easily wring tears from a rock;

"When I first met you, you were facing off a whole bunch of hunters BY YOURSELF. I remember watching you from above, and thought to myself- what a fierce girl. . ."

The compliment sent the tears rolling down on both sides of her cheek;

"'L-l-lord-d Nexus," she stammered; "You really mean that?"

"Of course."

His forefinger on her chin caught a moving drop of tear. And he moved swiftly to begin to wipe it off her cheek.

"You handled your own pretty well, and you didn't even have to use your ability. Do you realize just how phenomenal that was?"

Her grateful eyes burned into him, eagerly drinking in his praise, and anticipating more by the second.

Nexus continued to comfort her, as one would a baby;

"Your ability is yours and yours alone Crystal. That means it's one of a kind. No one else can stretch their bodies like you. No single succubus on this earth has this power. . ."

His palm travelled upwards from her cheeks to her head. And began to stroke her soft hair in slow precise movements;

"Your potential just increased right? That simply means your skills with your ability increase as well. Just relax and believe in yourself okay? I'm confident you will improve in the future."

Nexus' words washed over her warmly, invigorating her like a cold shower on a hot summer afternoon, filling her with hope, and surety.

Nexus withdrew his hand, as she wiped off her tears with the back of her sleeve. She muttered;

"Forgive me m'lord. I'm so sorry you had to see me like this."

"It's all good, soon enough I believe younger succubi will chant about you in stories, singing about your greatness and stuff."

Her shoulders heaved as she chuckled lightly: "Thank you for believing in me."

In the background, the campfire had reduced to a smoldering piles of glowing embers, and charred rocks- like an altar. The surrounding had turned a glowing bright red, and the shadows spilled all over, melting all over the place.

Crystal took permission to go stoke the fire with more combustibles, and Nexus decided to use the opportunity to fully inspect the prize he had snatched from his previous battle.

He bent down low towards the earth, weaved his hand into the strap and lifted up the heavy metal with a deep grunt to his chest.

Fuck. It was damn heavy.

Holding it firmly, he lifted up the dead knight's shield towards the light.

An explosive smile boomed across his face, lighting up his iris, and filling him with a sense of victory. This was his first spoil of war. When he remembered how troublesome, and how fiercely unkillable the armored guy had seemed, Nexus was gladdened by the fact that the guy was dead- and he was still alive.

He brought the shield closer to his eyes.

In the light of the rising flames from the growling fire, Nexus trailed its form. The crest on the shield was unrecognizable. It looked like a snake- no, a dragon.

The workmanship was intricate. It seemed like some fusion of bronze and gold. The strap was made of pure seasoned leather, with a soft cushion inlaid for comfort. It was a good piece, and Nexus felt no remorse for taking it.

"Well," he shrugged; "Dead men don't need shields, so I might as well help myself to it. . ."

No doubt, the shield was good. It had been very effective against his sword attacks, and he was very much looking forward to using it sometime in the future.

"System, absorb this piece of armor into space vacuum and recycle it for later."

In the blink of an eye, the shield disappeared.

All of a sudden, as if someone had just shot a tranquilizer dart into his system, Nexus felt a wave of fatigue sweep through him.

His eyes suddenly began to feel dangerously heavy. His limbs and legs felt very weak, and his brain began to gradually shut down. It was as if all the fatigue from the previous battle had suddenly caught up with him. All the andrenaline from being in battle began to wear off, making part of his body feel like lead.

He knew he had been running on fumes lately, and he had thought he would be able to soldier through.

However, Nexus felt like his own body was starting to conspire against him. His neck turned towards his sleeping bag that was a few yards away from the campfire, and he eyed it coveteously. His willed his legs to move, and he began to stagger deamily towards it.

He collapsed into it with a heavy thud. The comfort of his sleeping bag nudged against him, gently pulling him towards lala land.

Before he drifted off, Nexus rolled over and lifted up his eyes towards the sky to take note of the moon's position. At best, he knew he barely had an hour and a half till daylight, and he intended to take full advantage of that short period to sleep.

Quickly, he glanced around his surroundings to see or hear if anything was amiss. Everything seemed good. He could actually afford to get some shut eye.

"Crystal," he called groggily; "I need to get some rest. I trust you'll be okay?"

"I'll be okay m'lord." she touched her stomach; "I can still feel your raw essence inside me- in my womb. So I could also use the time to slowly digest."

Nexus did not have the energy to feel shy about that.

He was barely hearing her at this point;

"Good night."

"Night m'lord."

A short while later, she also drifted off.

...

Crystal's eyes snapped wide open. Up above, a cloudless blue sky stretched across the heavens. The sun was already high up, and halfway across the sky- it was almost midday. She sighed, but made no move to get up. Her eyes rolled in her sockets groggily. Disoriented, she paused for a minute to remember where she was.

All around, tall trees dogged the clearing, casting shadows in large looming blankets. The site of the campfire was a pile of ash- long dead. She turned to her right, and her eyes met her lord.

Nexus was already up and training already.

With a determined look, he slashed and slashed with his sword. Crystal noted with gladness that the worrying look in his eyes had temporarily ebbed. His face looked a lot more refreshed. And his movements were more agile than before.

Steadying herself, she got to her feet.

"Morning m'lord."

"Morning Crystal. I hope you slept good?"

"I slept well thank you very much. You're up early."

"Yeah, I normally get up early to train." He looked up at the sun; "Well, I guess 'early' is kind of subjective today."

Crystal smiled; "You've had a pretty exhausting past twenty four hours. No one can blame you for sleeping in a little bit today."