Blessed Ch. 02: New Day, New World

Di'ia looked surprised. "It is said that Au'rea herself provided the symbol for life, back when magicraft was still new to the peoples of Xeria. Why?"

"I recognize it - it's a symbol from an ancient civilization that existed on Earth, over 2,000 years ago. It's called an ankh, and it was used to symbolize life on Earth too."

Di'ia gave me a strange look. "We too call it an ankh," I watched her lips closely, and was only somewhat surprised when her lips formed the word I heard, "and it has long been the symbol for Lifecraft. That our two worlds share a symbol and its meaning..."

We were both silent for a few moments, considering the implications. Perhaps the ancient pagan gods weren't as mythological as we had always assumed? Then Di'ia shook her head. "No matter. It reacts to your touch, just as the Light and Flame crystals did. There are only a few more left."

The final crystal to respond to me was the Mind crystal, the symbol of which I didn't recognize. A circle with a pair of straight-line 'wings,' and a trio of lines, two slanted inward towards the middle third line, which pointed straight up. It glowed with a bright, violet-pink light, almost hazy. "This is unusual," Di'ia said, frowning at the crystal. "Mind normally glows a bright, shimmering blue, like the sky. This color is... it's wrong."

"What does Mindcraft do? I assume it can manipulate the minds of others, their thoughts, memories?"

"Manipulate or heal, yes. Ailments of the mind need to be tended to by a Mindcrafter, but spies or criminals can use Mindcraft to evade being caught by altering memories."

I thought for a moment, stroking my bearded chin absentmindedly. "Gladra said there was an... aura around me..." I said slowly, still embarrassed by what that aura had caused Rhaliyah to do.

Di'ia looked up, a teasing smirk on her lips, but it disappeared before she could say anything, surprise and revelation taking its place. I could almost hear the 'eureka!' of her expression. "Of course! You could enflame the lust, or attraction

someone feels, make them aroused beyond what they normally would feel! Not quite total Mindcraft, but it certainly affects the mind!"

"So, you're saying I could make people horny with a thought?"

Di'ia snorted. "Well, a thought and some mana. Most magicraft consumes mana based on how much of a change the magic would make. Lighting a candle takes little - the candle is designed to be lit. Mindcraft works a little differently, as the amount of mana consumed is dependent on not only the change being made - for instance, altering memories to include yourself, as a spy might - but also the will of the person whose mind is being altered. For you, using Mindcraft to make one of us Disciples very aroused and ready to fuck you would take almost nothing at all - most of us would be disposed towards that already, and a lot of us actually want that.

"But making, say, a lesbian aroused towards you would be much more difficult - she wouldn't feel that way about men in the first place, and likely would resist the change, draining even more mana."

I considered that for a moment, trying not to blush too hard. "So basically, encouraging a mindset that already exists and is wanted is easier than creating a new one that isn't desired."

The Kitsune nodded. "Exactly." She chuckled, then placed the crystal on the table. "I have to admit, having a partial response like that is an entirely new thing. I don't think I've ever heard of someone being able to access only a specific portion of a Craft." She turned back with another crystal. "Moving on."

None of the other crystals reacted, nor did any of them bear symbols that raised my curiosity like the ankh did. All told, I was a 4-Tab magic user (or perhaps only 3.5?) of Light, Flame, Life, and (partially) Mind. Di'ia was pleased, and I felt a little proud too, though I hadn't really done anything.

"Alright, next we'll measure your innate pool of mana." She picked up a crystal orb. "This glows in proportion to how much mana you have, reacting with your innate pool, and while we don't have a perfect meter on hand - those are expensive and generally only official registration offices have them - I've seen my fair share of large and small pools, so I can at least judge around where your pool is."

Taking a deep breath, I gently laid my hand on the orb. It began to softly glow, and I could tell from Di'ia's expression, it was less than she was expecting. A lot less. "O-oh," she stuttered, eyes wide. "I... that's..."

I swallowed heavily. "How small?"

She met my gaze. "Small. Not dangerously, but massive, spectacular acts of magicraft requiring huge stores of mana are beyond you. I'd... I'd guess around 750. Maybe lower. Low, but not exactly an outlier."

I sighed deeply, fighting against the disappointment threatening to crush what little hope and pride I had felt at being a 4-Tabber. Then I nodded, setting my jaw. "Let's see what my flow is," I said, trying hard to keep the expectation of it being very low out of my voice.

Silently, Di'ia set the orb back on the table, and picked up the last one. "Same as the other, the brighter the glow, the faster the flow. It simply reacts in response to the excess that flows through you, that cannot be added to your pool."

Nodding, I took a deep breath, then reached out. For a second before I touched the orb, I hesitated, then firmly touched it.

Blindingly bright light exploded from the orb, causing both of us to yelp, and Di'ia fumbled with the orb as I snatched my hand back. Breathing heavily to try and calm my racing heart, I looked at Di'ia, my eyes still squinting from the sun-bright shine. "Was... I assume that's good?"

Di'ia was staring at the orb in shock, her slitted pupils nearly round. She looked up at me. "That's... you're... I don't think that's 1st Rank..."

I frowned in surprise. "That thing can get brighter?"

Di'ia shook her head, eyes widening slowly as the words tumbled out. "Just the opposite. I don't think anyone has seen a mana flow crystal glow so bright. You're beyond 1st Rank - I don't think even the ten top 1st-Rankers combined would generate the same mana that you have flowing through you."

I blinked. "Wait, you mean that not only am I 1st-Rank, but I'm so much of a 1st-Ranker I'm basically in my own Rank?"

Di'ia nodded. "You probably could have a pool of 1 mana and be fine. However much mana you do have is inconsequential; you would refill even a large pool of mana within minutes, if even that long. And I don't mean high-end-of-normal large either; I'm talking about outlier-large, the kind we see very rarely."

I swallowed. "So... that's a good thing, right?"

The shock that was plastered on Di'ia's face was quickly swept away by the excitement and joy that replaced it. "Yes, Aaron, a very good thing. If you can learn control in your magicraft, it won't matter the size of your pool. Your castings might take a few seconds longer, but you could hold the mana ready and funnel your flow of mana into the casting, making it more powerful than most would be capable of normally." A new look crossed her face, one of excitement, anticipation, a look of... arousal? "And I get to teach you," she practically purred.

A slight shift in her stance, and the Kitsune suddenly presented me with an arched, sexy profile of her assets. Like Rhaliyah, Di'ia was trim, with a small bust and slender hips, though the Kitsune was marginally more well-endowed than the Elfess. After allowing me a stunned moment to ogle her proffered display, she suddenly turned, bending at the waist a bit too much as she placed the crystal she held back on the table, her fluffy tail swishing excitedly behind her. Turning back to me, she slowly strode over, her hips swinging exaggeratedly as she approached.

Still mute and staring in surprise, I didn't stop her as she wrapped her hands behind neck, almost hanging off me, and it was only then that I really noticed her height - she was around five-foot four or so, nearly a head shorter than me. I had been too interested in her ears and tail for her height to actually register with me, but now, as her slender body brushed against mine and she looked up at me from under hooded eyes, golden-green eyes narrower than before, but still wide with arousal.

I swallowed heavily when, meeting no resistance, Di'ia gently pressed her slim body against mine, her legs straddling one of mine as she softly ground her hips into my thigh. "Di-Di'ia," I stuttered, taken off-guard as, once again, a hot and bothered woman set her sights on me. "Aren't we supposed to... you know, work on magic?"

The Kitsune pouted, batting her eyes at me a couple times. "Oh, you wouldn't turn a girl down without even a taste, would you?"

"That's not... I... Rhaliyah..."

Di'ia giggled. "Rhaliyah knows that we - all the Disciples - are interested in you, Aaron. She would have said something if she wanted to restrict any... liaisons."

I grasped for some reason to slow down, to pause for a second. It wasn't that I didn't want Di'ia - just the opposite! But I somehow felt like I was betraying Rhaliyah by not talking to her first. Even if the idea of betraying someone I had slept with once, only hours after meeting for the first time, was ridiculous in the first place. Was I even in a relationship with Rhaliyah? She had said she found me attractive, and likely would have offered a 'liaison' on her own had Au'rea's Blessing not jump-started our sexual relationship. But when she said 'liaison,' was she talking about a one-night stand? Being fuckbuddies? Or something more substantial? And all that aside, what did I want?

But then I recalled some of what my college friend, Liz, had once said, and realized what I needed to do, if only to give myself some peace of mind. I gently put my hands on Di'ia's hips, but instead of drawing her closer, I pushed her back, creating a foot of space between us. "Di'ia, I'd really, really love to... be with you. But I need to figure things out first, figure out what Rhaliyah wants... and what I want. This... sexual openness that you guys have going isn't something I'm used to, and maybe what I'm trying to do is weird and silly, but I need to talk it out, I need to hear Rhaliyah's side of things and figure out what works and..."

I was stopped by a slender, gentle finger being firmly placed over my lips. Di'ia was smiling in amusement, her fox ears pointing at 45 degree angles from the midline of her head. "You're rambling, Aaron," she said. She made a faux-thinking face, then smirked. "It's kind of cute."

I felt my face and ears burn. "Um... good?" The Kitsune laughed, then she slipped out of my hands and, taking my hand in one of her own, pulled me out the door and down the hall. "Where are we going?" I asked, somehow struggling to keep up with her, despite my longer stride.

"I want to feel your cock in me before the sun sets, so we're going to find Rhaliyah right now."

I blinked, stared at the ginger hair and ears in front of me - the former intently turned forward - and then choked down a laugh. It should never have been a surprise. Especially with how sexually-charged I seemed to make everyone around me. No wonder she decided to get rid of any obstacles in the way of getting fucked.

After asking a few other Disciples where the Elfess was, we were finally pointed towards the 'third hall.' Based on my very rough mental map of the Monastery, it was opposite the living quarters and main hall, which were a bit clockwise from Gladraxs office.

When we finally arrived, I saw that whatever it had been before, it was now a massive sparring room; the clack of wood on wood echoed throughout the hall as dozens of women faced off, most using a wooden practice spear, each about eight feet long. A few were using other weapons, swords and axes and warhammers, but the vast majority were training with the spears. Off to the right, in the near corner, I spotted Rhaliyah, dressed in her sensible traveling leathers and wielding her spear, facing Vlere, who wore shimmering golden chainmail and bore a kite shield on her right arm and a heavy-looking S-curved sword in her left hand, sort of like a Chinese dao, only much thicker than any real one. Again, my hours trawling the internet served me well, though the extra weight of the blade seemed absurd - the thing must weigh almost twice what any real dao would have, yet Vlere was swinging it without any apparent strain.

Of course, if Orcs were stronger than humans, the extra weight probably wouldn't be too cumbersome for Vlere. However, the exposed blades did worry me.

"Are they actually going at it with sharp weapons?" I asked Di'ia, a note of panic in my voice.

She hummed a laugh in response. "Anyone who wants to fight with bare steel has to have their weapon blunted by a warmaid," the Kitsune explained, gesturing to another woman, a Chakit, who seemed to be watching Rhaliyah and Vlere's duel with a hawk's gaze. "The methods are varied, but Aikik probably put a thin, blunt layer of air around the blades with her Aircraft. They can still bruise, or break bones if they're not careful, but for the most part they should be safe."

I nodded, relaxing a good deal. I hadn't really been worried that they would kill each other, but seeing sharp blades flying around had certainly concerned me.

The two circled each other, their breaths measured and deep, a sheen of sweat on their skin. Suddenly, with startling speed, Rhaliyah lunged, her spear flying towards Vlere's legs. The Orc blocked the strike, her sword lashing out swiftly at Rhaliyah's head, but the Elfess quickly recovered, parrying the attack with her spear, and lashing out twice in retaliation, quick slashes aimed at Vlere's head from above, then her chest.

Blocking both, the first with her shield and the second with her sword, Vlere dashed forward, shield raised to deflect any direct counter-attack. Rhaliyah dodged to Vlere's sword side, once again thrusting at the Orc's legs, which she blocked with her sword, deftly turning the strike aside and reciprocating with an overhead cleave. Rhaliyah sidestepped again, narrowly dodging the attack, but stepped in closer, choking up on her spear and aiming at Vlere's gut. The Orc, having too little time to react, swept her sword in, and they both pulled their blows at the last possible moment, Rhaliyah's spear poised to disembowel Vlere, while the latter's sword was only a good chop from decapitating the Elfess.

Vlere snorted. "I tire of these draws. Three bouts each ending in mutual death is all well and good, but a decisive outcome is much preferable, victory or loss."

Rhaliyah chuckled. "I'm sure if magic were introduced to the fight, a distinctly different encounter would occur."

The Orc barked a laugh. "Ha! Too bad aether is too precious to waste in sparring matches. At least, in matches between evenly-skilled opponents."

A thought occurred to me, but I brushed it aside. Time enough to deal with it later. Rhaliyah and Vlere presented their weapons to Aikik, who waved her hand along the blades of each. A slight shimmering was all I could see, but the two fighters nodded in satisfaction, Vlere sheathing her sword at her hip while Rhaliyah rightened her spear, holding it like an oversized walking stick. She then caught sight of Di'ia and I, and after a quick word to Vlere and Aikik, walked over to meet us.

"I thought you two would be busy introducing Aaron to magicraft," she said.

"We were," Di'ia said, "and there is certainly something you and Gladra need to know about his magic, but another matter came up, and Aaron has something important to speak with you about."

Rhaliyah nodded, then focused on me. I felt a light blush come to my face, and took a deep breath. "What exactly... where do we stand? Like... relationship-wise?"

The Elfess' eyebrows rose, an amused expression settling across her face, and she glanced at Di'ia. "I assume you offered, not him?"

The Kitsune giggled. "I think he's too shy to ask," she replied with a smirk.

I frowned. "'He' is right here, you know," I grumbled.

The two turned their attention back towards me, toning back their amusement - slightly. "Am I correct in thinking that you are concerned about offending me - or others - by being with more than one woman?"

I nodded. "Where I'm from, on Earth, most people are monogamous. We date, marry, and... have sex with one person. There are people who aren't monogamous - one of my friends was what we call a swinger, someone who has casual sex with more than one person, without being romantic - but for the most part, everyone just stays with one person at a time."

Rhaliyah nodded. "There are places in Xeria where monogamy is practiced, but in most places, polygamy is more common. Those who are monogamous aren't looked down on or considered deviant, and if you were to choose to restrict yourself to one partner, none would condemn you.

"However, knowing what Au'rea embodies, I think you are not monogamous. I would bet that She would choose to Bless someone who would fit her aspects, which includes freely loving - and lusting - as many as one wishes, and Au'rea Herself is said to have many lovers throughout the ages, both mortal and divine."

I thought about what she said. I wanted to talk to Rhaliyah partially to know what she wanted from our relationship, but also, in a sense, to get her permission. And that realization startled me. I wanted Rhaliyah to want to be with me, intimately, romantically, and sexually, but I also wanted her to be okay with me being with other women the same way.

I almost laughed as something Liz had once said came to me. "You'd be surprised how many people are closeted poly-people, even to themselves. They know society doesn't exactly accept their way of life, that the social mores aren't aligned to polyamory, so they convince themselves that they're, I don't know, 'mono-normative?' I'm willing to bet that most men are at least a little poly; after all, which gender is it that has all the threesome fantasies?" Looked like I was one of those closeted poly-people.

Somehow emboldened by the realization that, not only was I poly, but that this world, this society was okay with it, I met Rhaliyah's gaze. "So, to be clear: I want to be with you, Rhaliyah, and I want to know if you want that as well. And if you accept if I am with other women as well."

The Elfess grinned. "I would like to explore our relationship as well, Aaron, and I accept your explorations with others on three conditions: first, you tell me," no surprise, and I was planning to anyways, "second, you accept that I may explore with others as well," it would be hypocritical of me to do otherwise, "and finally, I may insist that you allow me to join your explorations on occasion."

That brought my mind to a brief halt. Noting my stupor, Rhaliyah giggled, then made a suggestive expression at Di'ia. My gaze nimbly slid to the Kitsune, who returned Rhaliyah's sexy look, before the two stepped towards one another and shared a brief, but thorough, kiss.

My cock made my arousal known quite insistently as it tented the front of my robe. When Rhaliyah and Di'ia broke their kiss and looked over at me, they both giggled. "I think it may be time to relocate somewhere more... comfortable," Di'ia suggested.

Rhaliyah laughed, then grabbed both of our hands and led us out of the third hall, striding quickly through the monastery in the direction I was pretty sure the living quarters were. I stumbled along behind, my brain still trying to catch up with reality.

Was I about to get a threesome?