Lewd Ascent - A Futa LitRPG Ch. 076-085

Rosalie likewise rolled to the side, muscles aching, and stood. She stalked toward her clothing, pointedly facing away from Delta. Not because she was blushing, and not because all of that sweaty contact had put Rosalie in a very compromised mindset.

Panties and bra slipped on, at least, Rosalie turned and faced Delta. The fox girl had rolled onto her side and propped her head up, not returning to her clothes as Rosalie had. She stayed happily naked, facing toward Rosalie. As shameless as always. Rosalie refused to be cowed; she didn't look away.

"So. What is it?" Rosalie asked.

"What is what?"

She crossed her arms. "The favor."

"Dunno yet. I'll probably get Zoey's opinion. Help cook something up. She knows what you like, I'm guessing."

Rosalie stared disdainfully down at her teammate. "Of course you would, pervert."

"I'm the pervert?" she asked. "You're the one who let me win so I could ask something freaky of you."

For a second, Rosalie almost denied the accusation. But she hesitated, then, instead, huffed and turned back to the rest of her clothing.

"And you won't even deny it," Delta said. "Because your prudishness and ego are fighting. You don't want to admit wanting me, but you also won't admit you lost. You have to make it clear you threw the fight." She laughed, and Rosalie's face burned furiously as she continued to dress, ignoring her opponent's words. "I really can't decide if you're cute or obnoxious, blondie."

"It's no such struggle for me."

"You think I'm cute?"

"Obnoxious," Rosalie emphasized, shooting a glare over her shoulder, which turned out to be a mistake, because it gave her a generous view of Delta's naked body as she stretched on the sparring mat.

"You sure about that?"

"Exceedingly."

"Not the slightest bit cute?"

Rosalie ignored her.

"That's fine," Delta said. "I think me and Zoey can change your attitude, once things get going." She sighed inconsolably. "It's a shame we have to wait, though. Wanna go track her down and get started early?"

In the addled state Rosalie was in, she actually paused. And, of course, Delta noticed.

"That's a yes," she grinned.

"No." Then, more firmly, "No. We already have plans tonight. Daytime hours are for practice, at a very minimum." It should've been all day and night spent productively, but Zoey was having a bad influence on her. Rosalie was losing her willpower to keep to her routine. At least she could fall back onto the convoluted excuse that she was helping Zoey with her class. Powerful as it was, there was even merit to the reasoning.

"You sure? I'm all worked up, now."

The statement had Rosalie's heart skipping a beat. She ignored it. "Get dressed. Your ... contest ..." the word dripped with disgust, "has been decided. Let's get a few real spars in. And you said you knew the competition."

Delta pouted. "But if we go spar other people, I can't stay naked. I like catching you staring."

Rosalie, for the tenth time, just gave her a disgusted look.

Truly an insufferable woman.

4.07 - Business Plans

It was kind of hard to just go back to potion-making after being so thoroughly drained by Sabina's milking session, especially with how unexpected the encounter had been, but Sabina's efficient, unruffled nature helped Zoey get her thoughts in order. Zoey was genuinely astounded at how easily Sabina ignored what the two of them had done. Or what she had done to Zoey. It had been a pretty one-sided thing, not that Zoey was complaining.

Fortunately, Zoey's curiosity helped her brush past things, too. Sabina's milking of her lower half had been for a reason. Or, at least a practical one in addition to the less appropriate. There was merit to Zoey's reasoning: that her class might bestow certain properties to her cum, making it a viable potion-base.

"If I had to guess," Sabina said, prepping the small-form brewing station as Zoey studiously watched and took notes. "It would be especially suited to potions that provide carnal effects. We'll first test it with the fairy dust. If it catalyzes, then that likely indicates our suspicions are true. Of course, we'll need to compare it to other bases to be certain, but my previous attempts with your ingredients have been ... stubborn. So an instant success would effectively be a confirmation."

Sabina continued to meticulously arrange the ingredients and equipment, including the thick container of Zoey's cum. The flask had more than enough liquid for a small batch of potions, and it laid to the side, along with the other reagents they'd be adding.

Zoey wouldn't be leading this brew. She was still a beginner, and they would be working with valuable ingredients, this batch, not worthless ones like for the health potions earlier.

There was plenty to learn from spectating. Not every instance of her tutelage needed to be hands on. Plus, Zoey was looking forward to Sabina coaxing out a potion from the pink fairy dust. The shimmering material said it would give effects related to dreams. In what form? She couldn't wait to find out. Something fun, her gut told her. Maybe fun and practical.

She attended to Sabina's requests as they went about the process. She helped here and there, in small ways, passing equipment or preparing reagents. Sabina did all the real work. Zoey took notes when she could, and Sabina did the same. Ones much more detailed than Zoey's own, identifying exactly the process she implemented. She was a scientist in the traditional sense, even if technology might not be as advanced here as back home.

A surprisingly intense forty-five minutes later, Sabina held up a vial of pink liquid, eying it. The cloudy liquid slowly resolved, turning a deeper and deeper pink by the second. Until finally, it settled.

[Potion of Expanded Consciousness] - Open the consumer's mind to the dream world, allowing external influences to delve deep into one's psyche.

"Oh, wow," Zoey said. "What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure," Sabina said, finishing her inspection and setting the vial into the prepared vial rack. She poured the rest of the batch into vials, talking as she did so. "And it's less inappropriate than I expected."

"Well. Maybe it doesn't say it, but I bet the dreams would be ... less than appropriate. Just a hunch."

Sabina hummed in consideration.

"And it worked," Zoey said, pointing out the obvious.

"Indeed. It seems your essence does, as predicted, make an ideal potion base. Curious. It'll simplify further experiments. Though, I do wonder if more mundane potions will find it a habitable solution."

"I wonder," Zoey agreed.

"As to the potion itself. 'External influences'. That concerns me."

She'd had the same thought. "What sorts of influences? And who says they'll be friendly?"

"Perhaps it'd be best to not take it."

"Huh?" No, Zoey's concern didn't extend that far. "I still think it's worth trying."

"It's an unusually vague description."

Zoey shrugged. Maybe the carelessness wasn't wholly wise, but there was no shot she was just going to not take it. Who knew how amazing the experience could turn out?

"What happens, happens," Zoey said. It was maybe a too-blase attitude. "Some of the other items I've gotten are vague. Things haven't turned out poorly, yet."

"It's yours to do with as you please," Sabina said. "I'm simply who you hired to catalyze it. But do be careful."

Right. Zoey had almost forgotten about that. She'd fallen into an easy companionship with Sabina that had almost made her forget their relationship was professional in origin. Or ... mostly professional, and likely shifting toward something else. Clearly, Sabina's milking session indicated some sort of morphing of their relationship. But in this regard, still professional.

It broached a topic Zoey had been chewing over.

"Hey," Zoey said. "Do you, uh, mind if we talk business, actually?"

Sabina took the swerve in conversation in stride, as she did everything. "As we clean." She gestured at the dirty equipment.

"Right."

Zoey helped Sabina collect the various tools and dispose of expended regents to the appropriate receptacles. It was a monotonous process she was growing accustomed to. Even fantastic activities like alchemy came with plenty of mundane realities, cleaning and preparation being two obvious ones.

"So. Business."

"Business."

"Don't take this the wrong way ..." Zoey started, "but can I ask how you're, well, making a living?"

A quirked eyebrow. "Well," she said slowly. "I'm an alchemist by trade."

Sarcasm wasn't the most common thing coming from Sabina, so Zoey was amused. But also, at the same time, she internally winced. She was going to have to spell out what she meant, explicitly? "I mean, how are you—"

"I know what you mean," Sabina said. "How I finance myself with so few customers."

"Well ... yeah." Sabina had people come in to buy something here and there, but not nearly enough, it felt like, to maintain a store of this size. She didn't know the exact financial circumstances of business ownership in the city of Treyhull, but she couldn't imagine the scarce traffic Sabina got was normal. Or even tenable.

"I don't deal with public clientele," Sabina said. "I'm open to the public, yes, but I realized early on that I'm poorly suited to typical business ownership. It requires a certain level of ..." she grappled for the right word.

Zoey bit down on the one that came to mind. 'Affability'. She thought Sabina was wonderful, but she definitely wouldn't call her anything but 'aloof'. Not a salesman in any regard, that was clear.

"Showmanship," Sabina settled on. It wasn't what Zoey would have used, but she got the point. "So I operate with outside business. The Guild, of course, being the primary. They have high demand for bulk orders, which they offer me, because I provide consistent, high quality product."

"Oh," Zoey said. That made a ton of sense, actually. Because Sabina was staying afloat, and with how barren her actual storefront was, there had to have been a reason she hadn't gone broke, yet. The answer made as much sense as any. "What do you make for them?"

"The typical. Health, stamina, mana. Occasionally specialty requests. They send me a list once a week. Beyond the Guild, I have other recurring obligations." She paused, scrubbing away at a flask using a long, thin sponge attached to a firm metal wire. "I will admit the money is poor. Individual clients are certainly the more lucrative option. But haggling with customers ... I can't suffer it." She glanced at Zoey, then turned back forward, seeming almost hesitant. "The whole process is irritating. And I'm not good at it, either." She turned back forward and returned to scrubbing, a frown quirking the edges of her lips.

"Yeah," Zoey said. "I get that. Dealing with people can be annoying."

"Why do you ask?"

"Curious. And ... other reasons, too."

Sabina waited, a silent prompt.

"I was wondering if you wanted to try something out."

"Selling your lewd potions," Sabina guessed. "Going into business."

Zoey started, then looked at Sabina and huffed. "Can you stop guessing everything I'm going to ask and do? It's like you can read my mind." It had been a recurring trend. "But yeah. A sex potion business."

"There's merit to the idea," Sabina said. "Especially since it seems your shards follow a trend. While you might not get the same reagents each time, we should have a steady supply. A rotating availability might even be good for business. Scarcity."

"Yeah. Though, how rare is it, exactly? Lewd potions."

"Unheard of," Sabina said. "To my knowledge. I've been meaning to discuss the topic with you, actually. I want to compose a paper to the Institute about my findings. We're repeatedly discovering effects that are, frankly, completely novel. It would have my colleagues in a frenzy."

"Oh. So it's rare."

"Novel, as I said." She hummed in satisfaction. The concept clearly excited her—in Sabina's way, at least, which didn't come with the usual tells. But for her, she was practically vibrating. "You have a truly unique class."

"And you want to write a paper about it."

"I see the difficulty behind the request," Sabina said. "It would draw an unfortunate amount of attention my—and your—way."

"Which is a problem." Rosalie, and Delta, had made it clear Zoey should be keeping her class under wraps. "I don't want to have too many eyes turned my way."

"I figured. So, it's not an option?"

"I'm sorry. Probably not. At least for now."

Sabina nodded, not put out. She'd gotten the response she'd expected. And Zoey wanted to let her do as she pleased—which apparently meant writing a paper on the recipes she was discovering—but for safety's sake, she shouldn't.

Even starting up a sex potion business would be less conspicuous that appropriate, maybe. But, it was several steps down from writing a paper to a research institute highlighting how amazing, and unique, Zoey's class was. The typical consumer who'd be buying a sex potion likely wouldn't realize how odd it was. Not as much as an alchemy organization, at least.

"Please, continue," Sabina prompted. "Your idea."

"Er, yeah." She'd gone quiet as she chewed over the topics Sabina had brought up. "Well, there's not much to say, it sounds like. If these potions are totally unique, and we have a surplus of reagents, why not monetize them?"

"And I would have a cut?"

"Sure. I don't know the exact details, I guess, but we're bouncing ideas around."

"Who would handle sales? You?"

Probably not. Zoey didn't have the time—nor desire—to be the saleswoman, either. Then again, wouldn't such rare merchandise sell itself?

"Maybe we bring in a third party," Zoey said. "Hire someone?"

"And I brew."

"Yeah. I collect the materials, you brew." And hopefully Zoey herself could help with that, eventually, but she knew she wasn't at that stage in her career. "And we find a third person to handle marketing and sales. There's money to be made."

"I suspect there is, handled correctly." Sabina consider the idea, scrubbing away at the dirtied alchemy equipment. "Let's work out a few details."

4.08 - Casual

Zoey and Sabina hammered out the details for a potential business plan. In broad strokes, true, but also in a way that suggested this might come to pass and wasn't fanciful musing.

The two important items that needed to be handled was finding a stall or small storefront in the redlight district—the scandalous nature of their merchandise wouldn't be allowed in the general marketplaces—as well as finding an employee for selling the potions, since neither Zoey nor Sabina wanted to handle that task. Zoey, because she had other things to be doing, and Sabina, because she would be busy brewing and handling her other duties—along with her dislike for customer-facing responsibilities.

Zoey was excited for the business to take off, and intended to move from 'planning' to 'reality' as quickly as she could. First, because the money would be nice. Finances hadn't been a problem, but she didn't have so much she could buy whatever she wanted, either. The same for Rosalie. Zoey could tell by the way she acted that her family was rich, likely filthy rich, but she didn't have access to those funds, right now. And sure, that would change in a few short weeks, when they set off to Mantle, but even if Rosalie was willing to keep Zoey supplied, Zoey would prefer she had her own source of income. Mooching of her now-girlfriend would feel weird.

But besides the money, Zoey looked forward to the project for other reasons. A simple sense of excitement to name one, getting to watch and participate in a growing venture, and besides that, a way to keep Sabina better supplied. Sabina had quickly become a friend, and opening up a way for her to pursue her passions was something that interested Zoey on its own merit.

Though, what would happen when they left? Set off to Mantle? All things considered, two weeks was no time at all, on the scale of 'setting up a business'. She'd blink, and it would be time to leave—thus splitting apart the business if Sabina wasn't interested in coming along.

Zoey had felt the situation out. Sabina, apparently, didn't have any major ties holding her down. She'd been renting her storefront for two years, and had grown accustomed to it—and made business contacts, established a routine—but she didn't have family, or ... well, even many friends, to put things bluntly. As long as Sabina had a place to be conducting her research, and the supplies to do so, that was all that mattered.

So in that regard, if their test-run with a lewd potion stall in the redlight district worked out, and they raked in money, then Sabina indicated she'd be willing to relocate. It had been an awkward topic to broach, though, outright asking Sabina if she'd be willing to move cities with her. They'd only known each other a few days.

Ultimately, it depended on how the business worked out.

After her lessons and discussions with Sabina, Zoey headed back to the Guild for more of the same—tutelage—except with Maddy. It was the routine she'd be following for the rest of their break in Treyhull, probably. Mornings with Sabina, late morning and afternoon with Maddy, then her evenings free, to handle whatever else needed taken care of.

Lessons with Maddy went well. They worked on the ice armor spell, which she managed to fully manifest, though not with any amazing efficiency. Certainly, not at a level appropriate to venturing out to second or third advancement shards.

But she was making strides, according to Maddy. It was hard to tell if that praise was genuine, or just Maddy being a sweetheart, but Zoey took pride in it anyway. She was trying her hardest, so she might as well take the encouragement for what it was.

Not that she'd sit back and be satisfied with herself, growing complacent. If she wanted a career with Rosalie and Delta, then she had to become a competent adventurer. To push herself. Sure, her class gave her overpowered skills, but that wasn't enough.

Doubly so because of the danger. As they worked their way up the advancement ladder, shards would become more and more of a deadly threat to her teammates. It would be Zoey's job, in some part, to keep them safe. And keeping Rosalie and Delta safe? Obviously high on the priority list. Higher than anything else.

By the time the second magic lesson was wrapped up, Zoey had a shaky, if consistent, hold on the ice armor spell. While ice shards were massively easier to fling, they were also a crude ability. Which didn't mean it was a bad skill. Swinging a hammer could be 'crude' compared to some finesse-based weapons, but still effective. Ice armor, on the other hand, was far more difficult to bring to life—but much more useful. As long as she kept her ice armor manifested, if an attack slipped past Rosalie, Zoey should be able to take the attack without her transmigration through worlds coming to an abrupt end.

She and Maddy also started on a few other manifestations of her ice-related abilities. She made little progress there, but with luck—and a lot of work—Zoey might have an 'ice wall' and a 'frost' spell ready for the next shard. The former for utility, the latter as a debuff—to lock up enemies with a debilitating sheen of frost.

Finally, in the cool-down period, she invited Maddy out for drinks with her, Rosalie, and Delta. She accepted eagerly. It might just be her generally affable nature, but Zoey thought Maddy liked her company as much as Zoey did hers. Besides being a friendly and encouraging tutor, Zoey just liked the bubbly girl. She was a bit ... dorky and excitable, at times, tripping over her words in her eagerness to get them out, but it was endlessly endearing, not annoying. How could anyone be annoyed by Maddy? She was a ball of sunshine.