Always Prepare a Counterspell

A warm summer wind blew in between the dense forest trees, carrying the hum of cicada's nightmarish screams of wanting to fuck. It was a nice distraction to the pair of adventurer's long trek for work, after all, a ruined magic tower in the middle of the forest wasn't the easiest thing to find. The duo, an orc sorceress and an elf mechanic, were thankfully running into minimal resistance.

"So..." the elf said, idly tinkering with her compass. "We should still be going the right direction." Her companion looked unimpressed at the assurance. "Oh, come on, I know I've said that before."

"Oh, I trust you," the larger woman sighed, mostly just exhausted at the hours of hiking. "It's just that we only know the direction, not anything else like what to look for. So, for all we know we may have already passed it."

"Can't you use magic to sense it?"

"Only if there's active magic around, which is why your tools are more reliable nowadays."

Magic had been falling out of favor in terms of casual navigation since it was always reliant on signposting spells to guide people. Larger cities would naturally have this, but smaller and more rural areas wouldn't and instead had cartographers plan out routes and encourage tools like maps and compasses.

"I'm just tired," the orc woman sighed, not missing her companions blush at the slight praise. "If we need to, we can set a marker and teleport somewhere to rest for the night."

"It is getting hot..." the elf admitted as she noticed the visible sweat markers on their clothes. The cicadas were getting louder, becoming an almost deafening mental block. "Don't you have some water magic or something, Ariandel?"

"If you wanted to use it to drink, you'd regret it." The orc sighed, grabbing her canteen. "Water magic I use is really just teleporting things from the ocean, so unless you want to drink fish shit, I don't use it for drinking."

"Fair enough," the elf winced, not wanting the salt water or fish shit. "Ice then?"

"Same situation, different temperature."

"Wow, how convenient."

"It is when you need to cool off, not hydrate."

"So, what, do you make fire magic when you need to hydrate?"

"Wind, actually."

"...I'll stick with technology for now, at least I can read the manual for that stuff." The elf laughed, looking at the sorceress. She cracked a smile and kept moving.

"It's not that complicated, Leyn." She said, carefully stepping over a log. "Your machines are far more complex than magical elements."

"Says the nerd who has a personal magic hat." The elf countered, trying to stay serious with the jab but faltering as another round of Cicadas began their fuck song. "Man, mood killer much?"

"Quite, and here we were on our nice romantic half day hike to find a magical tower we don't know the location of."

"Romantic?"

"Adventure, you know, romance, the spirit of adventure and exploration."

"Sapphic orc says what?"

"What?"

"Wait really?"

"No, something else." Ariandel said, not realizing what the elf was playing at. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed her wand. "I think we're close."

"So, you finally picked something up?" the elf said, trying to hide her minor embarrassment at the flirting. Her companion was already picking up the pace, almost ignoring the hours of walking they'd done. A few cut bushes here, a gravity lifted and replanted tree there, and they finally made it to the ruins.

To say it was dilapidated was an under exaggeration of the highest degree. What might have been a mighty spire was obliterated by time, leaving only half a staircase visible and a series of bricks covering what appeared to be part of a basement. The only signs it was used within living memory was the fact that there was a bookshelf with slightly less dust and leaves on it.

"Well," the orc sighed, relieved they finally were approaching the end of this quest. "We made it. Despite the lack of directions."

"Yeah, now we just..." the elf panted, the hike suddenly hitting her like a boulder punched by a linebacker. "Make sure it's empty? Right?" her companion nodded, visibly more relieved that now they could actually rest and prepare to go back.

"We don't have to worry about the tower at least," Ariandel laughed, since even from a cursory glance and birds flying over the ruins there were no illusions at work. "Now we just have to hope whatever's down there is manageable."

"Well, if half the basement is buried in rocks, we should be done quickly." The elf sighed, looking around. The heat from the sun was now hitting them directly due to the lack of foliage canopy. Naturally they both knew speaking that phrase aloud would curse them. It seemed to be a rule that instead of anything useful, gods of luck loved being shitheads.

Also known as the pair being very susceptible to jinxes, which neither of them knew how it would manifest whenever they were near the end of a job. Sometimes it was a mechanical dragon, other times it was a hot spring that for one reason or another they just couldn't bring themselves to leave. So naturally, what would it be this time?

A bear? A bear riding another bear? A squirrel that's a bear in disguise? Only fate would know. And with a quiet breeze that spoke volumes of intimidation. There was a pause as the two carefully walked towards the ruined staircase, somewhat disappointed that they could see a path through the collapsed building.

"Great... guess we're going in?" Leyn sighed, not really looking forward to a potentially active magic ridden ruin. "You first or me?"

"It's magic so, probably me?" Ariandel chuckled, moving forward as carefully as she could. The first step of run exploration is always to confirm the exit strategy. They'd both done it hundreds of times, sometimes multiple at the same location. So naturally they had thought they'd seen every trick and trap in the book. "Though, the ruined part of this place hopefully set everything off years ago."

"So, how many traps do you think there will be?"

"Probably all of them."

"Fun!"

"You signed up for this," the orc woman laughed as she squeezed through a gap. Their only known way out, a gap barely big enough for one person to squeeze through, so they hoped they didn't need to start an excavation. "Just... be careful. There's, definitely, active magic in here."

"Well, you have counter spells, right?" the elf said, finding a bit of relief in the basement looking like just a few rooms, nothing too egregious. "So, if we just move carefully we'll be fine."

"Yeah," Ariandel said, taking a moment to try and enjoy the cooler temperature. "We just-" As if on cue, a sigil glowed around her foot and visibly jolted up her body. "Fuck."

"Okay, what type of magic is it and is this one that if you move, you're going to need a new leg? Again?" Leyn sighed, knowing that she wasn't the expert in magic here and had to stand by to help. There was no response from her partner though. "Uhhh, Ari? Helloooo? Big A?"

No response, but she wasn't turned to stone so that was a plus. The elf nervously shifted around her companion, using tiny mechanical spiders to avoid setting off any other spells in the area. After all, it wouldn't do either of them good if they both got trapped.

So, when her companion was staring blankly into space with her jaw slack, there was a problem. Not just from the lack of other magical booby traps around the area, but how the orc woman's eyes followed Leyns' movement.

"Can you hear me?" she said, admittedly nervous. No response, other than the slow tracking of her hand's movement. "Ariandel? What the hell is going on?"

"Sp...ell..." the sorceress managed to mumble out, clearly fighting back against whatever she was experiencing.

"I know that! But what kind of spell!"

"Control... spell..."

"So, you're mind controlled? Fantastic, so I need to beat someone up. Alone. I can do that." The elf said, looking around for any sign of something to break, as we all know, engineers love destroying things someone else made. The orc nodded as best she could, both of them thankful she had magic resistance. "But... who or what?"

"If... you..." the orc struggled, still following the elf as she paced the room. "Cant... need to... exhaust... me..."

The next twenty minutes were spent exploring the ruined three-room basement, not only was there no one or nothing magical, there wasn't even a skeleton to put in a funny position. So Leyn just paced around her still entranced partner, muttering any idea she could.

"Mental or physical exhaustion?" she asked, knowing that her partner had just enough willpower to answer simple questions.

"Both..." the orc mumbled, trying to move a bit. With both of them thankful she had resistance to this.

"Both..." the elf said, noting that now she had someone who would only answer truthfully. Meaning not only could she practice her bad puns, maybe some feelings could be confirmed. "How do you feel about me, friend or romantically?"

There was a pause, like the ancient dial up magic connections of old. Was Ariandel thinking? Or was the spell forcing her to re-evaluate things.

"Couldn't..." she started to say, her brow furrowed as best as it could with the magic. "Be... Without you..."

"Okay but if I kissed you would you kick my ass after this spell ends?" the elf said, if mental exhaustion would affect her then asking hard hitting totally gay questions was the way to do it.

"If... it was hot..." the orc tried to laugh. The spell kept her from emoting as much as she wanted. With Leyn turning red to the point you could mistake her for being on fire. "Ha. Made... you blush."

"Okay then. Miss mind-controlled-and-needs-to-be-exhausted," the elf said, trying to pretend she wasn't a bottom. "If we... do it. Will that tire you out so the spell breaks?"

"Pro...bably?" Ariandel mumbled, mentally resisting the spell more to get her words out faster. "Just. Go for it!"

A pause, with Leyn trying to make sure that her companion wouldn't kick her ass twelve ways to Albuquerque if she started going whole hog horny on her.

"We'll talk this out later, okay?" she sighed before moving in and carefully trying her best to move the taller woman in any way she could. There was a nod as confirmation, or as much of a nod as it could be. Sadly, she had little luck in getting her magical friend to do anything beyond sitting on the ground with her legs spread. "Just, wow this is weird."

"No..." the orc said, visibly trying to laugh, with Leyn frankly being amazed she was able to fight back calmly enough to consent to this weird situation. "...shit." There was a bit of trouble getting any clothes moved on her due to the spell keeping her stiff. Her leggings were easy, the actual undergarments were a struggle, with the elf woman's fingers finding the right nooks and crannies in Ariandel's thighs to get a visible blush on her face.

Not to be outdone though, her face was beet red after the minute of struggling with the sorceresses' undergarments. If she wasn't currently in a dubious situation, she'd probably be stammering and trying to dive right in to eat out her partner. But naturally, the mechanic had the control, and as good of a verbal consent as she could.

And stuck her tongue right in between her partners legs, going at it with a fervor of someone who hadn't drank water for a week. Her hands negotiated their way around Ariandel's waste, with the orc slowly letting out a low moan. Whatever spell was controlling her was definitely not stopping her body's senses. There was a moment of silence as Leyn pulled back, hoping just that would be enough.

It wasn't, there was still a glow in her partner's eyes from the spell. Meaning that a quick taco eating session wouldn't be enough. The elf adjusted herself, still looking at her partner, now possibly more than just a professional one, and opened her mouth.

"Okay, so." She started, moving around to get behind the larger woman. "The second you snap out of this spell let me know. Okay?" There was a grunt of acknowledgement, so she took the opportunity to carefully start rubbing the hypnotized mages breasts. "Just. I like you and I want to not make this too weird and I'm sorry?"

"Just... grab my tits." The orc sighed, somehow not even mind control could keep her from calling out her anxiety. There was a bit more energy to her voice, hopefully meaning the spell was starting to break. "Do it."

"Aren't I supposed to be the one in control?" Leyn mumbled, kissing the orc's neck as her fingers found their mark. Despite the magic, it was for lack of a better term, magical. Intimate, even if it wasn't under the best conditions, there was some love there.

Leyn just hoped it was reciprocated.

Her lips met Ariandel's neck, carefully, but hesitantly. Part of her didn't want this spell to be broken, not right away at least. There was a moan from her partner, snapping her back to the current situation, and decided to take a risk. Her left hand went down, just managing to reach between the orc woman's legs. Just a moment of actual dominance she wanted to take advantage of.

"Mmm..." the larger woman moaned, clearly pleased at what was being done to her. There was a sharp inhale as one of the elf's fingers found a sensitive spot. "Right... there..." Leyn took that as a good sign, hoping if she got more responsive that meant the spell would be broken soon. Because then they could see if this was something that meant more than a strange way to break a spell.

"Like this?" the elf whispered between movements. She needed to push harder, and that meant trying everything she could to get Ariandel's mind racing. "Or should I go... harder?" She tried something risky at that, she pinched her partner's breast. Not hard enough to hurt, but to try and force a reaction. And a second inhale was a sign it was working, along with a bit of a squirm. "Is this to your liking my uhh.... Dear?"

Leyn was not good at being assertive. Even if she was the only one who could be in this situation. It's not her fault she adored taller women. But no matter, she had to keep going, trying to think of anything to get the mood right. More kissing, caressing, careful movements and letting out a lot of stress on her companion. It was practically heaven, or rather, halfway to heaven.

Then the elf found herself looking at the ceiling. With her companion grinning at her.

"...When did the spell end?"

"Five minutes ago."

"You let me finger you for five minutes without saying anything?"

"And you fingered me for how long when I was out of it?" Ariandel laughed, leaning closer to Leyn's face. "Trying so hard like the good girl you are, just to save me from a trap. Maybe I should return the favour."

"I-it was no big d-" the elf was cut off by a kiss, letting her eyes close as the larger woman's hands wrapped around her waist.

"And let you have all the fun? Or was your anxiety and worry for me just a façade?" she gave a fake disappointed look, complete with puppy eyes. "Oh, woe is me, a sapphic, topless, and at the mercy of someone I trust! Woe! Woe is me! My consent, respected! My body, respected!"

"Wait, so you are gay?"

"I said what, didn't I?"

"You could've made it clearer..."

"Then does this clear up some confusion?" Ariandel grinned, kissing her companion and carefully wriggling her fingers into the woman's belt. There was a pause, a nod, and then a removal of pants that 90's boy bands would be jealous of. The sound of a few gadgets hitting stone echoed as Leyn was vigorously repaid. The larger hands cupping her ass, lips covering her neck, and a knee, just putting a bit of pressure between the elf's legs. Any chance Leyn had to respond was lost between both moaning and stammering as gayly as possible.

Her chest bounced and her hips bucked as Ariandel kept the rhythm up. Their lips were locked, hands were exploring each other's bodies, and both were thankful to be out of the humid forest and somewhere more intimate.

"So..." Ariandel grinned, fingers knuckle deep inside her partner. "Shared inn rooms from now on?" there were soft moans in response, Leyns legs stretching out as far as she could as she enthusiastically nodded. "Really, you should've said something earlier."

"I-" the elf panted, feeling her heel touch the floor. "I was nervous!"

"And now you're about to cum all over my hands."

"It's nervous cum!"

"Just be my girlfriend after this, cutie." The orc woman laughed, feeling her partners body tense up. "Wha'ddya say?"

There wasn't a response, just her now girlfriend's tense body in her hands. She looked around and saw a glowing sigil on the ground, and a magic glow moving up her body.

"...You're kidding me" she laughed, opting to stop and hoist the elf over her shoulders. "At least I can cast a counterspell. So, let's get back first."

Again, no response.

"Wow. No wonder you were awkward." She said, covering them both up as best she could. Exiting was a small challenge, carrying someone would do that after all. But they were quickly out and warped back to an inn. Leyn woke up shortly after, and covered her face with her hands.

"Let's never do that again. Please?"

"You never know what would be in dungeons babe. No promises." Ariandel grinned, giving her now conscious girlfriend a quick kiss.