Kink University - Ch. 19 - Friends

My body gently pulsed waves of heat and then cold as I rested on the rock with Zolreya. I was sure that I went in and out of sleep a few times-the injuries on my body alternating between sharp pain and then numbness. What I was sure of, however, was that as my breasts trickled and as I occasionally gave them a gentle squeeze, the pain had begun to subside. I was almost surprised that my plan had worked, that something I had done actually had an impact. For so long I'd felt like I had no agency in my own life ... this new feeling was like waking up from a terrible dream. And though I was still scared about the task ahead of me, I had the sense that maybe I could do it too.

"You are leaving, now," Zolreya said, no doubt noticing that my breathing had changed.

"We're leaving," I replied and sat up to look at her.

"You ... do not have to do that," Zolreya said and wrapped herself in her arms. "I know that you were wounded and helpless when you told me that you would. And you've helped me already with my ... pain."

That was right, something odd had happened in the water—something beyond just sex. I wanted to ask her about it, but I knew I was barely managing to competently handle the stress of my plan to escape the mines. Anything else would have to wait until we were out.

I shook my head and replied, "You saved me ... and you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to help me heal, you didn't have to talk me through. You ... are important to me, even if I don't know you all that well yet."

"Trust me in that I'm not important," Zolreya said matter-of-factly and glanced in the general direction of the current. I couldn't imagine the pain of being forgotten in a mine like this for however long she had been down here. The feelings of shame in her grimace were painfully obvious—she blamed herself for being imprisoned. And as if the time lost and the self-chastisement were not enough, I wondered if nobody had come looking for her.

"Well, you are to me," I said and gritted my jaw. In truth, I didn't feel any courage. I just knew that leaving her wasn't an option to me. I braced myself and worked to to stand on my feet. While my body was a bit shaky and sore, it did manage to support me after a few moments. I retrieved my armor and clothing—my cowprint one-piece, my sandals, my pink skirt, and my armored bra—and donned them one at a time.

I then knelt and cradled Zolreya in my arms bridal-style. Fortunately, she was only a little heavier than Daava. And while I didn't have the advantage of carrying her on my back, I knew I could make this work, at least for a while.

Zolreya grimaced as I carried her; she seemed frightened. But her blue glow helped me find my footing as I followed a rocky trail back up into the higher portion of the mine.

Once we reached the top, to nothing but a narrow mining tunnel, I realized that we were not in the same cavern where I'd fallen. That made sense; the current had to have dragged me quite a ways. Instead of stalagmites, it was the skeletons of animals that were lined along the ground.

"I ... thought they had made it," Zolreya said, her tone fragile.

I trembled, and a wave of uncertainty hit me. It had been one thing when I had thought that even animals had outwitted the boners. But that they had died ... it made me feel afraid for both of us.

"It's alright if-" Zolreya began to whisper.

"No ... I can do this," I said, knowing that my certainty was 100% fake. I didn't know if I could do this. If anything, I had my doubts. But neither staying in the cave nor abandoning my new friend were options. Just like with the current, the only way out of this was through it.

I began to move through the tunnels. I could hear the sounds of movement from up ahead. Going into my own headspace, I tried once again to engage my magic. This was a challenge now that I was not in the throes of passion like before. But I focused as best I could and tried to remember back to my previous transformations—of being in the milking stall with Hyrranesus, of being grabbed by the tail by the minotaur version of Daava, and then being ridden as her mount on the way here. I tried to imagine what knew situations might arise in the future ... maybe of being in the barn again, surrounded by other students also being milked.

Gradually, I felt my tail begin to grow out again. My breasts swelled slightly. But these were not what I needed. What I needed were ...

"Lilly!"

The sound of my name echoed in the cavern. It was distant, but I thought I had an idea of where it was coming from. I picked up my pace and continued to march towards it. I could feel adrenaline beginning to pump, mercifully helping me avoid the growing tiredness in my arms.

"I'm here!" I shouted as loudly as I could.

"Lilly!" repeated the voice, this time sounding frantic. They had heard me!

Trying to follow the sound, I wound my way through several more tunnels. I began to see the glow of sunlight further down the way! For just an instant, I felt hope that I was going to be free!

Then, as if on cue, a quite tall boner stepped from around a corner—blocking me from where I could hear the others still calling my name.

I'm not exactly sure what happened in my brain at that moment. Waves of one-tracked desperation just began to hit. I needed to get into that tunnel. In my mind, nothing else mattered at all. My friends, my new life, my hope of a brighter future, my salvation from dying in a wet cave, they were all on the other side of this one obstacle.

The boner stared at me for a moment. It was a dusty skeleton like the rest, a little taller, and with small horns over its eyes. It then crouched, opened up its arms, and let out a guttural screech that filled the cave. Then ... it charged.

I half-expected my legs to carry me in the opposite direction as I ran for my life. But instead, I bellowed tonally, like the angriest cow one had ever heard. I lowered my head so that it shielded Zolreya, and then I charged as well. I wasn't brave, and I still didn't feel any particular amount of temporary courage, but I supposed even a little cow could only be cornered so much.

As I ran with a weightlessness that could come only from pure adrenaline, I imagined Daava riding me—her girlcock pressed against my back. I was only slightly brought back to reality as I felt a sharp sensation in my forehead. I didn't have time to even consider it before I collided with my attacker.

All I knew was that there was a sound of shattering, a slight weight that hadn't been there before, a sharp clawing and burning in my back, and then light as I found myself having charged all the way into the next chamber of the cavern.

"Lilly!" said an intimately familiar voice. It was Daava, red-eyed, and with streaks of wetness that had muddied the dust on her face.

My body trembled and, for a moment, threatened to give out. Retroactively, all the terror I had just faced and all the pain from the current began to hit me. I felt my eyes began to burn, and I felt lost and small again. Guilt for the pain I had inadvertently caused her, as well as feelings of inadequacy for how unhelpful I'd been in the earlier fight came to the forefront of my mind.

Trying to redeem myself ... or just say anything whatsoever, I muttered, "I ... found the screaming." Even as I said it, I could feel my own obvious need for validation. It was only as I lowered my head a bit did I realize that part of the boner's rib cage was stuck to my head. I couldn't imagine how I looked at that moment. And everyone could see me clearly, as the cavern was entirely exposed to the outside by a hole above us. So the entire image was illuminated by the late afternoon sun.

Daava ran towards me ... as well as Mystery and Faublien who I had not seen behind her ... and they all threw their arms around me. Almost as an afterthought, Faublien grabbed the ribcage stuck on my horns and tossed it to the side.

For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. But then I let out several sobs—which were shared by my companions as we all just held one another.

Eventually, Faublien again pulled away and took Zolreya into his arms. He sniffled, looked at me, and said, "You're being kept on a tight leash from now on. I'm not supposed to have this many emotions over a freshman I've met for barely even a day!"

"I second that," Mystery said and shook their head in exaggerated annoyance. They wiped their own face. "I'm not losing the best roomie ever to some stupid cave."

"Consider the motion passed," Daava said, sounding quite hoarse. I imagined that she had not stopped shouting since I'd fallen. Finally, she looked at our new companion in Faublien's arms and asked, "And who is this?"

"Her name is Zolreya," I said, a little embarrassed that I hadn't introduced her yet. "She saved me after I fell ... and helped me with my magic so that we could get out."

Zolreya gave them each a small nod, seeming a bit uncomfortable with all the attention.

"Thank you so much, Zolreya," Daava said and nodded back at her in a way that seemed particularly significant. "I look forward to us all getting better acquainted. But first, let's get the hell out of this taint of a mine.

-O-

The journey out of the cave was mercifully uneventful. We walked in silence along a path that Mystery seemed confident enough led us out. Daava did not elect to ride me. Instead she just held my hand as we walked. I did occasionally see her staring at the various scars and bruises left on my body. While the wounds had closed and the swelling had gone down immensely because of the magic, there was no missing where gashed had been in my hands, my foot, and on my back. It also seemed that the boner had left some claw marks in my back when I'd gored it. However, these did not seem to be nearly as deep as the others.

Sure enough, we eventually exited the cave and I made a solemn oath to never enter another cave or mine if I could help it. Instead of returning to the road, we walked in the opposite direction—to where I could hear the sounds of gulls and waves crashing. It was about a half-mile before we reached the beach.

Despite my newfound issues with water, I elected to carry Zolreya the rest of the way myself. Again cradling her, I made my way along a rocky shore until I was waist-deep in the ocean. From there, I released Zolreya, and we just stared at one another wordlessly.

"I can't believe I'm finally free," Zolreya said, and gave the first smile I'd seen since I had met her.

"I can't believe I'm alive," I replied, the exhaustion of the day wearing on me. I felt a gurgle in my stomach, which I tried to ignore. "Where will you go, now?"

"I will deliver our offspring to my people," Zolreya replied.

I nearly choked on nothing, and I tried to reply, "Ou-our..." Again, a pain hit my gut. Now it was impossible for me not to think about what had happened in the cave. My mind began connecting the dots between our union and what little I knew of seahorse reproduction.

"It's ... what I was worried about happening before," Zolreya said, glancing down at the water shamefully. "I don't know if it will be of condolence or another emotional pain, but my people do not age as most other mortals. After being fertilized and warmed by our mates, we who make the eggs then deliver them to the nursery of our people. There they develop for many years. From there, they drift in silence, much like a plant, absorbing the thoughts of those in the water around them. I'm afraid both of us will be long departed before they can ever really know us."

The thought of this filled me with an unexpected sadness, which was especially confusing, given how new the information about even having offspring was to me. I had so many questions—the biggest being, how in the hell could my post-hrt body even fertilize anything? But before I could answer, Zolreya pulled my clothing aside, and I felt a stream of something like soft bubbles begin to escape me. As they exited, it felt much like removing anal beads—one by one exiting my body smoothly with just enough pressure to make my eyes widen and my body shudder.

"Somehow, they always know when it is safe to arrive," Zolreya said, holding my hand as my body seemed to act with a will of its own.

I looked down at the water and saw was looked like the sort of goo that frogs deposited their eggs in. I guessed it was some sort of embryonic sack. Sure enough, little blue eggs filled it.

Zolreya gathered these eggs close to her and then looked down at the water, seeming very unsure of herself.

"It's alright," I said, feeling that this was ... surprisingly true. Sure, I was feeling a lot of things. But in a way, I knew that this was the closest I would ever have to any experience like it. And it ... made me feel somewhat whole. I took one of her hands into mine. "Thank you for saving me, and for ... well, everything else."

For the second time, Zolreya gave a small smile. She finally looked up to face me. "After I deliver the eggs, I will spend some time catching up with all I've missed in my world. I'm sure there will be some complications after suddenly being missing for so long. But after, if you would like ... I would like to see you again. My people are connected to the outside world, and at least one of us can be found near any port town. Just send word for me and I will be there ... if you would like."

I smiled and hugged her, replying, "I would like."

When I released the hug, Zolreya pressed close to envelop my lips with her own one last time. Then, she pulled away, gathered our eggs, and sunk under the water.

I watched for just a while, hoping to see her breech or rise up over the surface majestically. However, I was reminded that she was not a mermaid, and I was pretty sure seahorses didn't do water tricks. So I waved at the calm ocean and waded back to shore.

When I returned, Daava was waiting for me. She hugged me and said, "I'm glad you two found one another in that cave. I was so scared I lost you."

I smiled and hugged her back, bittersweet tears softly flowing. Hand in hand, we walked back up to the rocky outcropping where Mystery and Faublien awaited us. We all walked in relative silence, back toward the road that had brought us here. Right as we were about to reach it, we spotted Caid, Bubbles, Freja, and Boros. They all seemed out of breath, like they had been running for a long time. They were all very sweaty and had to catch their breath before speaking.

"Glad we ... caught ... you," Caid said, finally standing up straight. "Whatever you do, don't go into the mines. We were poking around in the nearby town and found out that the dark lord has assembled-"

"An army of boners?" Faublien said, crossing his arms. He didn't seem quite angry, but his sass was out in full display.

"You ..." Caid said, a little stunned. "Spotted them?"

"Defeated them, sweet thing," Mystery said, and rested their mace—with bits of bone still wedged in the grooves—on their shoulder.

The other group all looked at one another, exchanging excited glances. Finally, Caid said, "That's incredible! We've taken out a few of their armies so far, but it's slow work. It would be so great to have-"

"Let me stop you there," Daava said, lifting her free hand up at him. "Not interested."

Caid's brow furrowed. "But ... the dark lord poses a threat that could-"

"Kinky sex classes or a gross adventure against generic evil overlord, number 3084. Yeah, that's a big nope from me too," Faublien said, and began to walk past the group (winking at Boros as he tossed his lasso over his shoulder for good measure).

"But the day of reckoning is-" Caid tried to say again.

"Not our kind of thing," Daava said and pulled me along with her. "Best of luck, though!"

I shrugged at the other group, their mouths all slightly agape. As pleasantly as I could, I added, "Uh ... take care!"

Mystery was the last to skip along to join us, but then called over their shoulder, "But we're still up for that group-date. Call us!"

As we continued along back toward the row, I smiled at all my new friends. Choking a little from awkwardness as I tried to speak, I managed to say, "Y'all are the best."

Mystery wrapped their arms over mine and Faubliens shoulders so the four of us were all walking together and then added, "We all definitely are."