Blessed Ch. 03: Love and Classes

"Is it just my own magic that I can taste? Or is that my magical 'sense' that Gladra was talking about yesterday?"

Di'ia had grinned and said, "Close your eyes." Slowly, I had complied, and after a moment, a new taste had filled my mouth. It was... distant? No, that's not quite right, it was distance, length, space.

Opening my eyes, I'd started to ask, "What did you..." but was startled when I didn't see her.

A hot breath at my ear made me jump a little. "Surprise," the Kitsune had whispered, husky-voiced, as her arms gently, sensuously wrapped around my chest. "Did my teleporting taste good?"

I'd blushed, but leaned back into her embrace. "It was certainly unique," I'd admitted. "So, if I was to do magic, what would you sense? Or more, how would you sense it?"

Di'ia had giggled softly, and given my earlobe a gentle nip with her teeth, before replying in a low, oh-so-horny voice, "You'll have to fuck that information out of me."

Then, even as my cock had hardened, she'd ordered me back to my practice for the last twenty minutes of our session. Fucking tease.

It had been with dread-filled relief that I left with Rhaliyah when she had come to get me for combat practice. A few years in martial arts as a kid gave me a vague idea of what I was in for, but I doubted it would be nearly as fun as I recalled. Luckily, the first thing was only a choice: which weapon, or weapons, to use.

Laid out on the table before us was quite the assortment. Swords of various sizes and styles, a few different types of axes, spears, hammers and maces, a sling, a couple different bows, a crossbow, and a few other, more exotic weapons.

Of course, me being me, I couldn't make up my mind. Part of that was knowing that, in all likelihood, I'd have to kill someone with a weapon like ones of these at some point. The nature of my mission - and my own preconceptions of the situation I was in (thanks, isekai anime... and Narnia) - made that all too clear. To say I was terrified of that prospect would be a massive understatement.

The other part of my hesitation was serious consideration, weighing the pros and cons of the various choices before me. A ranged weapon would keep my untrained self far away from any enemies I encountered, but would leave me vulnerable if they drew close. And I knew slings and bows took a long time to master. And heavier weapons, like a mace, might help to alleviate some of my inexperience, but the added weight would slow me down and tire me out faster than a lighter weapon. And there was also the consideration of my magic. I had an absurd flow, after all, so the normal restrictions of skilled magic users wasn't an issue for me. But would I be able to master magic? I lacked the years of practice that most Xerians had, even if it wasn't combat practice for most of them.

But there was also a third thing. None of the weapons laid out before us felt right. Similar to my knowing from before that I could orgasm several times in a row, I somehow knew that none of these weapons were right. I could always ask to see more of the armory's supply - I had seen the storage room in the back of the office, a surprisingly large room with many weapons - but that also didn't feel right. No, instead, I felt a pull through a closed, locked door to the side.

After trying to ignore that pull for several minutes, I gave up, and turned to face Rhaliyah. "What's through there?" I asked, nodding towards the side door.

Rhaliyah arched an eyebrow, but instead of replying, turned to the warmaid with a questioning look. The woman - a petite, delicate-looking Strix; almost completely human in appearance, save for their taloned legs and the numerous feathers across their bodies, including long, beautiful feathers in place of head hair, though they couldn't fly - glanced towards the door then back to Rhaliyah and I, looking almost uncomfortable. "It is where the monastery's magicked weapons are kept, Blessed," she said to me, a hint of pride in her voice. "Should I assume Priestess Gladra was correct in assuming you would be drawn to one of the weapons kept within?"

I grimaced, not fond of how predictable I had clearly become, but nodded. "I feel this... pull, towards there. And none of the weapons here seem... right." I shrugged, unable to clarify. I'm sure I could have learned to use any of the weapons at hand, but something inside me - Au'rea's blessing? - made it clear that I shouldn't.

The warmaid nodded, then strode to the door, her talons clicking with each step of her bizarre gait, her knees swinging both back and forward. At the door, she placed her hand against the dark wood, bowing her head and... casting some sort of magic? It was strange, I could taste the magic, but it wasn't flavored. Could it be raw mana? But no, that seemed wrong as well - my own pool of mana tasted of my crafts, so wouldn't the warmaid's also taste of her craft or crafts?

I glanced at Rhaliyah, but she didn't seem to notice - or if she did, wasn't perturbed- so I just made a mental note to ask about it later. Then the warmaid was done, and I tasted some unfamiliar magic dissipate from the door, which the Strix pushed open, gesturing Rhaliyah and I through.

On the other side of the door was a room about the same size as the office we had just come from. However, instead of desks and chairs, the room was filled with shelves and pedestals, upon which a variety of weapons were hung or placed on stands, almost like a museum.

The weapons themselves were incredibly varied, and not just in terms of what kind of weapon, size, or design. Some appeared plain, like they belonged in the main armory, and only the cacophony of magic that danced across my tongue implied otherwise. While only a few were particularly ostentatious, many were far more... pretty than the mundane weapons we had been looking at before.

But there was one that seemed to call out to me, a particular pang on my tongue guiding me through the room. Unlike every other taste in the room - but like the strange magic the warmaid had used - this taste was unaccounted by craft. Just raw mana. That taste led to a sword, hanging by its sheath belt.

Carefully, reverently, I reached up and slid the belt off the hook, holding the sword still in its sheath. It was a large thing, nearly reaching up to my nipple line, and while it wasn't obscenely heavy, the weight was certainly there. Oddly, while I got the impression that it was a longsword, it also had a ricasso and even small quillons. Perhaps, like Sting being a troll's pocketknife but a Hobbit's arming sword, this weapon as a smaller person's (or smaller race's) greatsword, but for me, would be suitable as a longsword.

Once again, many seemingly-pointless hours on the internet seemed to turn out to be beneficial. After all, the only reason I even knew the differences between sword types and what ricassos and quillons were was due to helpful enthusiasts on YouTube.

I gently unbundled the sheath's end to allow the quillons free and unsheathed the first half of the sword. The sudden outpouring of unaccented mana practically made my mouth water as the taste overwhelmed me. Finally. It felt right.

I sheathed the blade and turned to Rhaliyah and the warmaid, the latter of whom stared at me - or rather, the longsword I carried - with no small amount of awe. And fear. "That Mijoqutse has seen fit to be borne to war once again..." she breathed.

I frowned. "Me-jo-koots?" I echoed.

She snapped her gaze up to mine. "The sword you bear, it is named Mijoqutse, a sword from a long-dead language, roughly meaning, 'Tide that washes away foes.' It is a noble weapon." Her gaze fell back to the sword in question. "A terrible weapon."

I gulped, looking down at the thing. What the hell was I getting myself into. The warmaid clearing her throat with a shake of her head brought my attention back up to see her appraising me. "While it was crafted a greatsword, with your height and build, I believe longsword training would be more appropriate." She turned to Rhaliayh, a question in her expression.

The Elfess nodded. "Agreed. And I am well-versed in longsword techniques - at least, of the Elven arts - and should have little trouble teaching him. The longsword is my second, behind my spear."

The warmaid nodded in return. "Then once I have sealed this room I am no longer needed. I will report to Priestess Gladra." She then fixed me with a stern look, and I suddenly recalled her name, Biderie. "Take good care of Mijoqutse, Blessed Aaron. It's aid - and it's burden - are now yours." I gulped again, and gave her what I hoped was a confident nod, but I'm willing to bet was far more feeble and nervous-looking.

With that we quickly exited the room, Biderie pausing to close and 'seal the door with another outpour of unaccented mana,, before giving a shallow bow to Rhaliyah and I and leaving.

The Elfess and I looked at each other for a moment, then, silently gesturing for me to follow, Rhaliyah led me out into the hallway and several rooms away to an almost-empty room, the walls filled only with wooden training weapons. "Set Mijoqutse aside - we'll not train with such a blade, but with wood." I nodded, and carefully propped the longsword against the wall near the door, then watched as Rhaliyah went through the racks of training weapons until she found one she deemed suifable.

"Here," she said, holding it out. I nodded and took the wooden practice weapon... and nearly dropped the thing. It was almost twice the weight of Mijoqutse. This was not going to be fun.

"First," Rhaliyah said, a hint of humor in her voice as she watched me heft the practice sword, "you'll practice your stances and sword positions. You'll need to be able to perfectly and instantly take up any stance, and be able to hold it and your sword for as long as you'll need."

"Oh fuck," I grunted. I knew better than to think that standing in the same position, unmoving, would be easy. Especially with a heavy-ass practice sword.

Rhaliyah just grinned in sadistic glee. "Now, the first position..."

*****

As evening approached - and as I realized what meal was upcoming I noted that the only thing I ate for lunch was Elf pussy; not sure how all three of us missed a meal without realizing - I was shaking with fatigue and almost dripping sweat. Holding eight pounds of wood in one position for minutes at a time was exhausting.

I was pleasantly surprised when Rhaliyah guided me not to the dining hall, but rather a large room near the living areas. A moist, steaming room.

"Is... is this an indoor hot spring?" I asked, looking out over a large pool of steaming water.

The Elfess beside me laughed, pointing towards the ceiling... which wasn't there. "You're only half wrong."

I snorted, then noted the cubbies lining the wall near the entrance to the hot spring and walked over on aching legs. Rhaliyah did the same, stripping off her sweatless robe and folding it neatly into one of the cubbies before striding into the pool. I followed at a slower pace, the shaking of my arms and hands making folding a difficult proposition.

Once I succeeded, I gingerly waded into the pool, not used to water quite as hot as this. But once my body got used to the heat I found the ledge around the edge of the pool and sat, allowing the fatigue to melt from my body as I basked in the warmth. "Damn, this feels good," I murmured with a sigh, my eyes closing in contentment. I dug my toes into the sandy bottom of the pool.

I felt Rhaliyah sit down beside me, her smooth skin brushing against mine. "You worked hard, and without any true complaint. You earned a little reward."

I chuckled, sinking lower into the water. "Rhaliyah, you can put me through whatever hellish training you want, just as long as I can come here after."

The Elfess giggled in response, then planned a soft kiss on my forehead. "Deal," she whispered, before pushing away from the wall and beginning to clean herself, using the sand from the pool's bottom to scrub.

After a couple minutes of simply soaking, I joined Rhaliyah and scrubbed myself off. It wasn't soap, but the hot water and scrubbing with the sand felt nearly as clean, and at the very least it got rid of all the sweat. Once my skin felt clean, I began to dunk under, just using the hot water to scrub my hair, coming up for air every couple of moments.

It was just as I was submerging again that I heard the door open and a feminine voice speaking. Startled by the unexpected company - and the sudden feeling of exposure, like I was about to get caught in the girls' locker room or something - I reflexively gasped, only to draw in a mouthful of water.

I stood, hacking and wheezing, and stumbled to the edge of the pool. Rhaliyah quickly came to my side, her hands going to my shoulder and arm to guide and support me as I worked to expel the water from my lungs.

After a moment, with my airways cleared, I collapsed heavily onto the ledge, taking deep, calming breaths. It was then that I became aware of the unexpected company hovering nearby - two women, still in their robes, concerned expressions on their faces.

One, who knelt right beside me, had deep violet-colored skin, and even kneeling, was obviously tall. Like, maybe pushing seven-foot-six tall. A pair of horns, about four inches long each, protruded from high upon her forehead, both covered in her skin. While hardly large - for her size - she was clearly well-muscled. Her ears were pointed, though unlike Rhaliyah's, which maintained their human-like orientation, pointing up and back, this woman's pointed somewhat out, away from her head, and were not quite as long as the Elfess' six-inch ears. Her amber-colored eyes, which were surrounded by startlingly black sclera, were wide with concern.

Behind her was... Stheskiths, blushing a brilliant blue and hesitantly looking at me, then looking away, then back again.

"Y'all right?" The purple-skinned woman asked in a voice that was simultaneously rough and pleasant, and at the same time revealing her nearly inch-long canine teeth which seemed to carefully fit around each other. Since I was pretty sure she was an Oni - or at least, the Xerian equivalent - i decided that I'd use that term, at least in my head.

"Um, yeah," I stammered, trying not to let my eyes wander to her chest - which I had just noticed was quite large, at least to little-ol' almost-six-foot me. Nearly the size of my head yet they seemed average on the massive woman.

The Oni made a small, amused sound, and my eyes snapped up to her eyes. Shit, I was staring. "Sorry," I quickly said, a blush rising, though mostly unseen in the hot, steaming room which already had my skin red. "I was startled when I heard you guys come in, I... er..." I'm not sure if a guy is allowed anywhere in this monastery full solely of women. "I thought everyone would be on their way to dinner."

She chuckled. "We're probably here for the same reason you two are - we heard that Au'rea's Blessed," she bowed her head briefly at the mention of the goddess, "would be training for a quest of some sort, and from what I've seen of Rhaliyah, I pity her trainee. No offence." She flashed a grin past me at Rhaliyah, who hummed a laugh in reply. "We just came from combat training ourselves, hoping to rinse off some sweat."

A quick reappraisal and I noticed the little signs that the two had been sweating, but by the time they reached the hot spring they had dried off. Unlike me, who had walked in still damp.

"Maybe once Aaron has completed the basics, you could go a few bouts with him, Kukyu," Rhaliyah said. "As brutal a taskmaster I can be, I can't properly imitate a significantly stronger opponent for him."

I gulped as I saw Kukyu grin even wider. Based solely on her size and dense, lean musculature, sparring against Oni women was suddenly very low on my list of things to do.

"Now then," Kukyu said, standing and walking around the edge of the pool towards the entrance. "Now that we know Blessed Aaron isn't going to drown himself, I want a quick wash." As she spoke, she stripped off her robe, folding it in her arms before placing it in a cubby and walking back into the pool. Stheskiths followed slowly, casting an embarrassed glance over her shoulder at me before taking off her robe and folding it away.

The two entered the pool quickly, Kukyu striding in with an easy gait and a contented smile as she soaked in the heat, while Stheskiths slithered in with her torso held low, submerging everything below her nose as quickly as she could. When she saw me looking at her, the Naga somehow blushed a deeper blue and submerged fully - from the indistinct motions I could make out, she seemed to be furiously scrubbing herself underwater.

I turned my attention back to Kukyu, who, rather than going underwater, was scooping handfuls of the hot water and sand up and scrubbing herself while standing. Every time she bent over it was from the waist, and since she was standing at about a 45° angle facing away from me, I got a good view of not only her round ass but her thighs and lower back stretching. Who knew muscles could be so damn sexy?

A hot breath against my ear was the only warning I had before Rhaliyah gently nipped my earlobe in her teasing way. "Enjoying the show?" she purred.

I swallowed, once again grateful for the heat of the pool for camouflaging my blush. "I... er..."

Rhaliyah chuckled quietly, nipping my ear again. "Hey, hop up on the rim. You promised me I could get a taste of your cock earlier, and I want it now."

My eyes flew open and I gaped at her. "Here? Now? Bu-but what about..." I turned to gesture towards Kukyu and Stheskiths, but stopped short when I saw the Oni grinning at me from between her legs as she scrubbed them with sand. Stheskiths I could see was still moving around underwater, and I suddenly wondered if she had gills somewhere, or just the lung capacity of a dolphin.

"Don't mind us," Kukyu said with a low chuckle. "I could use a show." At the same moment, Stheskiths came up from underwater, still with everything below the nose submerged. When she saw the very suggestive position that Rhaliyah and I were in, her eyes became as wide as plates and she dove back underwater.

I looked back towards Rhaliyah. "If you don't want to, that's fine," she said, "But random acts of... affection are quite common here, if I'm not mistaken." She glanced back at Kukyu, who was now sitting in the water while scrubbing her arms and shoulders, the water only barely reached the undersides of her breasts.

The Oni snorted. "I'd be surprised if there was a Disciple here who didn't have amorous encounters with other Disciples." The fond smile she sent in the direction of the still-submerged Stheskiths made me suddenly imagine the two massive women locked in a very different kind of sweat-inducing activity than what they had come from.

Rhaliyah turned back to me, with a smile that said, 'see? I told you so.' After a moment's thought and a heavy swallow, I slowly boosted myself out of the water to sit on the rim of the pool. Rhaliyah moved from my side to nestle in between my legs, one hand resting on my thigh while the other gently wrapped around my half-hard cock.

The Elfess looked up at me from under lidded eyes, then leaned in and, holding my dickupright, gave me a long, thorough lick from the base of my shaft all the way to the tip of my head. I let out a shuddering breath, my eyes rolling closed as her tongue rounded the head of my cock, then cradled my member as Rhaliyah took the head in her mouth, gently suckling.

Unlike Di'ia, who had been teasing in her attentions to the end of my dick, Rhaliyah was caring and thorough, intending to give me pleasure rather than taunt a rise - and a dominant response. She didn't leave the rest of me uncared-for, however, as one hand pumped my shaft while the other gently cupped and fondled my balls, nails lightly scratching at the sensitive sacks.