The knot that had been sitting in Bridget’s stomach for the past few days just wouldn’t go away, and she wasn’t sure what to do to get rid of it. There were a few different ropes tangled into the knot, each one adding to the size and shape of the heavy lump, enough so that she wasn’t sure which side to start tugging on to unravel it all. And if she did start tugging, she wasn’t wholly sure what might fall apart in the end.
Part of the knot came from the fact that she was fucking horny. Hearing Jadis fuck Aila while she’d been trying to sleep in one of the side rooms had been damn near torture. Those sounds were… something else. Even if she didn’t know first hand what it was like to be bedded by Jadis, she’d have found the sounds of their lovemaking to be nigh on impossible to resist. Gods, she’d been feeling anxious ever since the morning after Jadis had made love to her and the rest of the women some nights ago. Even Alex had been involved in that little orgy and as much as the Demon made Bridget nervous, she couldn’t deny that she had been as sexy as a shining new sword, fresh from the forge, when she’d been writhing on the bed like that while Jadis had ate her out. Fuck, just thinking about it was getting Bridget a little wet, which was not what she needed at the moment. She shouldn’t be thinking with her pussy. She needed to think with her brain, gods damn it.
But Jadis was just so bloody fucking sexy…
That was part of the problem, though, wasn’t it. Bridget had never considered herself all that attracted to women. She’d certainly appreciated a pretty face or a short skirt every now and again, but she’d always been interested in men. In fact, the solid hunk of meat that her sister Addy had found back in Far Felsen was usually more her speed. Human men were cute; not so delicate and fragile looking as most elves, but not as bulky and broad as most orcs. Humans were usually a nice middle-ground between elves and orcs and the ones built like Volker were right in Bridget’s sweet spot. Especially blonds. Both she and Addy had always agreed, blonds were sexy, and when Bridget had found out that her sister had managed to snag a blond human, she’d actually been pretty envious. She’d cursed her luck that Addy had gotten to the cute soldier boy before her and despaired that she’d likely not find anyone who could compare to the passion that Volker obviously showed for Addy.
But Jadis…
Jadis did things to Bridget. Oh, she did all kinds of things to Bridget, forward and back, upside down and backwards, multiple holes and ways…
Shit sandwiches, it wasn’t just about the sex! As great, amazing, knee-shaking, mind blowing, soul destroying as the sex was, Jadis wasn’t just about the sex. Bridget liked her. She liked her a lot. A whole lot. She liked being near her. She liked looking at her, listening to her talk, just touching her and being touched. She liked fighting with her, side by side, on the battlefield. She liked the way she threw herself into everything with such bold and reckless passion, whether in armor or out of it. She liked Jadis. In fact, she was pretty sure she loved Jadis…
But did she want to marry Jadis?
Fucking abyss… Probably? That was the bigger problem. Bridget wasn’t sure. She had always imagined she’d marry a man. A blond one, if at all possible, with nice muscles and a white smile and a cute butt. They’d date for a few years, he’d propose, they’d get married and settle down in either his village or hers, whichever they could afford a house in, and maybe they’d have a couple brats her mother would spoil rotten and her father would teach the sword to. It was a nice dream, a happy dream, one that Bridget had privately grinned over many nights when she’d been cold and alone in her bedroll.
But Jadis…
Jadis wanted her to have her child. What a bizarre statement that was. She wanted her to have her child. Bridget had never even heard of or considered people being like Jadis. The whole idea was so strange. And yet, it didn’t bother Bridget at all. Not the body part of it, nor the having children part. Whenever they talked about having kids, Bridget’s heart would clench and she’d get all fuzzy inside and she’d wonder what the offspring of an orc and a Nephilim would look like.
But having babies with Jadis hadn’t been the plan. Jadis wasn’t exactly a blond human soldier boy with a cute butt. She was a snow-pale giant with three bodies and a butt to die for. And really amazing breasts. And those legs were so long and smooth. And her perfect abs…
Fuck, not the point.
Bridget wasn’t stupid. She knew well enough to grab hold of a good thing when it came by and not waste the opportunity while pining over imaginary dreams that might never come to pass. Jadis was a very, very good thing. Bridget wasn’t going to miss the chance to be with someone who loved her just because that someone wasn’t blond. Or human. Or a man.
The thing that scared her though, was the idea that she might be rushing into things. She hadn’t been with Jadis that long. A few months. That’s all. And a good part of those months Jadis had been in a coma. And yet here they were, already talking about marriage and kids and meeting parents…
Oh, fuck, Bridget was going to have to introduce Jadis to her parents.
Gods, she hoped her parents would handle the surprise better than Aila’s had. Aila’s mother had looked like she was going to drag her daughter home by the ear at times. She’d looked better by the end of the evening, but Bridget doubted the waters were as calm as they looked on the surface.
That was a whole other part of the knot, wasn’t it. Aila. And Eir. And Kerr and Thea, Sabina, Sorcha, Alex… Bloody abyss, being with Jadis didn’t mean just being with Jadis. It meant being with all of them. Not that Bridget disliked any of them. In fact, she liked all of them quite a bit. Even the little goblin bandit and the terrifying Demon were growing on her. And that night with Jadis, when she’d done things with her and Eir…
Bugger, focus! It wasn’t just about the sex.
There was the whole harem thing to consider, but there were other strands too. The politics that Jadis was getting tangled up in. The mission from a literal God. The fact that Jadis was the only one of her race and she needed to have children with lots of women. And then there was the Demon stuff with Alex and the temple and gods…
Bridget’s relationship with Jadis was not the simple matter that she’d always hoped any serious relationship she’d have would be.
All in all, there were a lot of strings tangled together to make the knot in Bridget’s stomach as big as an ox’s head. The current situation was giving her mixed feelings as well, fraying the knot and making her stomach feel like she’d literally swallowed a rock with how heavily it sat in her belly.
Today was Bridget’s turn. Her day to date Jadis, to have her all alone to herself. And what had she suggested they do first thing?
Spar.
Okay, well, Bridget didn’t really consider this as part of their date. She doubted Jadis did either. For the past few days, the group’s morning routine had involved meeting up with Noll for training and sparring. The girls who had less physical classes mostly stuck to simple exercises to strengthen the body while those who did melee combat worked on their weapon forms and technique. That meant Bridget got to train directly under Noll, one of the greatest mercenaries of the century, and Steingrimur, a high priest of the god of war. Considering up to a few months ago she was struggling to even find acceptance into a standard mercenary company, her change in fortune was a dream come true.
She’d been sparring with the various warriors and priests in the temple at every available opportunity. She didn’t even care that most of the time she lost since without Jadis’ skill boosting stats or her own Nephilim-based boosts, she wasn’t all that strong. No, for Bridget, this was an invaluable learning opportunity, a chance to hone her weapon skills and better her technique. Only idiots relied solely on their class skills to improve their combat prowess. A true warrior trained until the blood ran from their hands, and then they trained some more.
Today, however, Bridget was doing something she hadn’t done since coming to Eldingholt. Today, she was sparring with Jadis. One on one. And she was terrified.
Syd stood across the training ring from her, equipped in her full plate armor. At least, she was pretty sure it was Syd. Sometimes it was hard to tell which body was which, but Syd tended to be Jadis’ outlet for jokes and playful banter and this body had been pretty jokey so far, so it was probably Syd. Bridget was used to seeing Jadis in her armor, but that was usually with them on the same side. Facing off against Jadis, even in just a training scenario, was a whole different experience.
She was just so gods damned tall! She towered over everyone, looming like a dark spire made of steel. Her black armor hid all of the gorgeous woman Bridget knew was underneath, showing only a knight who had to be powerful just to wear what had to be hundreds of pounds of metal. She looked like she could crush most soldiers just by stepping on them. Bridget didn’t doubt that she probably could.
And then there was the new weapon Sabina had made.
It was a sword staff. An absolutely huge one. In design, it was similar to a glaive, except the blade was longer and was double-edged. The base of the blade also had a curved crossguard, so if Jadis wanted to, she could hold the handle right below the blade and it would look no different from a fairly standard longsword in her hands. Except, the shaft of the hilt was the length of a polearm, giving the weapon the same reach as a halberd or spear. Of course the weapon had been made of cold flame steel, just like the armor, so the blade was black as night, which only added to how intimidating the thing was. Even worse, Bridget could clearly see the line of enchantment runes running down either side of the blade, the white glow of their magic contrasting against the black steel.
Gods, seeing Jadis wielding a weapon like that was sending shivers up and down Bridget’s spine.
“A hit with a weapon is a point,” Steingrimur called out, acting as an official for their spar. “Stepping out of the ring is a point. First to five points wins. Don’t pull your swings, but no intentionally deadly attacks. Don’t make me use my healing spells or I’ll wring the magic wasted out of your sorry hides. Any questions?”
Both Bridget and Syd shook their heads, understanding the rules well thanks to previous spars against other foes.
“Are you ready?” Syd called out to Bridget, the affection in her voice the only sign that the terrifying warrior before her was her lover.
“Of course!” Bridget boldly lied. “And you bloody well better not hold back on me or I’ll be fucking pissed!”
Performing an overly elegant bow, Syd acknowledged Bridget’s demand.
“As you wish, my foul-mouthed lady.”
Steingrimur snorted at their banter, then held up his hand in preparation to signal the start of the bout. Bridget took up her stance, choosing the form she’d been trained to use against large enemies like demons who inhabited oversized bodies. Across from her, Syd readied her new weapon.
Bridget had a chance, she was certain. Sure, Jadis had reach on her, especially with that swordstaff. She also had strength. And speed. Those were… well, those were all fucking massive advantages. Still, Bridget had far more skill than Jadis. Jadis’ technique was… adequate. She was making quick progress with her training, but she was still only barely passable for a beginner. That had to count for something in a spar like this. Right?
The guard Syd had taken was a low one. A terrible choice for most situations with a polearm. Defending from a downward angle was difficult since the wielder would have to pull upward against most attacks. Bridget would have scoffed at anyone else starting out a spar in that position, but for Jadis it made sense. Everyone was shorter than she was, so most of her attacks would have to focus on downward thrusts. That meant a low guard was ideal when fighting against an opponent with a lower center of gravity. Since Syd was that much taller, even with the reach her swordstaff afforded her she’d still have trouble going after anything below Bridget’s waist. The swordstaff was also far more like a spear than a glaive since it had a straight edge, so slashing attacks were less effective. Even though she’d just gotten the weapon, Bridget was certain Noll would have already drilled that bit of basics into Jadis. While chopping motions weren’t out of the question, a straight thrust would be the easiest type of attack to make, especially from the starting stance Syd had taken. Keeping all those observations in mind, as well as knowing how proactive Jadis liked to be when fighting, Bridget predicted Syd would close the distance quickly and deliver a solid thrust towards either her middle or her head. That meant her best chance of scoring a hit on Syd would be to parry the incoming thrust and counterattack in the same swing.
Bridget’s hands tightened their grip around her flail’s haft as the analysis ran through her head. In the next moment, Steingrimur dropped his hand, shouting out a single command.
“Begin!”
Metal clanged against metal and Bridget felt a ringing in her head. She gasped, her breath stolen as she stood in place, having had no chance yet to move. Syd was there, directly in front of her, her monstrous armored visage taking up Bridget’s entire view. Tilting her head back, Bridget saw that the curved crossguard of Syd’s swordstaff was cupping her forehead, the black blade resting against her left temple.
Syd had crossed the distance and struck her before Bridget could even move.
“Point to Jadis!” Steingrimur called out.
“Are you alright?” Syd quietly asked as she pulled her weapon back.
“Yeah!” Bridget squeaked, feeling faint as her knees trembled. “No problem! Let’s try that again!”
“Sure thing,” Syd nodded before lightly jogging back to the other side of the ring for a reset.
Holy gods above, how the fuck had Bridget thought she stood a chance? What did bloody technique matter when someone could move like that? Bridget had fifteen points in Agility. Jadis had, what, two hundred and sixty? A little more than that? What the fuck did it matter at that point, she had more than seventeen times the speed as her!
“Begin!” the high priest shouted, jarring Bridget from her thoughts.
Instinctively, she swung her flail, just hoping to hit something. Unluckily, her weapon met nothing but air as Syd came in at a different angle, her lightning-fast attack taking the form of a sweep that took advantage of the reach her new polearm offered her. Bridget was knocked back, the flat of the blade clanging against her middle and forcing her to fall unceremoniously on her rear.
Like a good and honorable warrior, Syd offered her hand to help Bridget to her feet. Bridget took the help, though the shame of her complete and utter trouncing was starting to make her face burn. Without any further words, they reset their positions.
“Begin!” Steingrimur called, and again Jadis and Bridget clashed.
Again, Bridget missed completely as Syd struck her shoulder with a thrust that could have knocked her arm off if it hadn’t been pulled. In the next bout, Syd caught Bridget off guard again, closing the distance in an instant and catching her before she could even begin to swing her flail, giving her four points while Bridget had yet to earn one.
Resetting again, Bridget growled in growing frustration. She wouldn’t be so easily dominated like this. She wouldn’t! She had to land at least one hit on Syd. Just one, to show that she wasn’t a complete pushover.
Powering up all of her skills, the flame on her metal lantern flail burst into life, burning a bright blue color. Pouring all of her strength into the next exchange, Bridget swung again the moment Steingrimur shouted the signal to begin.
Bridget’s arms ached as her bones shook from the impact with something hard. It took a second for her brain to catch up with the situation, but Bridget quickly realized what had happened. Syd was once more standing before her, only this time her left hand was holding onto the shaft of Bridget’s flail, blocking her blind attack. Syd’s swordstaff was resting with the tip touching Bridget’s chest, Syd having choked up her hold on the polearm so that it functioned more like a sword in that moment.
“Point to Bridget!”
“What?” both Syd and Bridget asked in surprise, turning in unison to look at Steingrimur.
“Her flail head hit your arm when you caught the shaft,” the man growled around his sharp-toothed grin. “If that was me you were fighting, that would have broken your wrist. Pay attention to what your enemy’s weapon can do, cub.”
“Huh,” Syd nodded as she considered Steingrimur’s words. “Good point. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“No more of that dashing shit,” Noll shouted at them from his spot by another ring. He was watching Jay spar against a couple of warrior clerics and instructing her on how to fight two on one, but apparently, he had been paying attention to their fight as well. “Go slower. Fight her. She’s got better form than you.”
Syd shouted her acknowledgement, then got back into position for another round. Bridget, in the meantime, slowly got into her own stance.
She’d hit Syd. She’d scored a point. She’d scored a point! She could fight Jadis, even if she was ridiculously disadvantaged against her. That thought set a fire in Bridget, her passion burning brightly. Under her helmet, her teeth bared in an excited grin.
“Ready!” she shouted, eager for another try.
“Begin!”
This time Syd attacked Bridget slower. Well, slower by comparison to her previous attacks, but she was still moving so fast that Bridget was barely able to keep up. Their polearms rang as they struck against each other in a series of passes that showcased how inexperienced Jadis actually was with her new weapon. Bridget hadn’t been able to see it before, having not been able to see much of anything with how much Agility Jadis had, but now that they were fighting in a more extended engagement, she could tell Syd was unfamiliar with how to use the swordstaff.
Syd’s grip kept shifting, weakening her stance and slowing her down unnecessarily as she adjusted and overcompensated. Her footwork was decent, but she was off balance at times, like she was expecting the blade to weigh more than it did and she was putting too much strength into her swings. She kept leaving her back open, overextending when she thrust forward. When she overextended for the fourth time, Bridget punished her for it, slipping her flail through as the head banged against Syd’s shoulder.
“Point to Bridget!” Steingrimur called.
“Shit, that was a good one,” Syd laughed as she reset her stance. "Keep it up!"
“Yes, I will,” Bridget promised, her own voice light with the joy of battle.
Again the fight began, and this time Bridget saw the change in Syd’s movements. She was a fast learner, and the more she fought, the better she got. The little mistakes she’d made were lessening in frequency. Her grip improved, as did her footwork, and she wasn’t overextending as much. When she lashed out at Bridget with a particular overhead swing that was followed by a twist and a pull that nearly yanked the flail from her hands, Bridget recognized what Syd was doing. She was copying Bridget’s style, observing and learning how to use her polearm even as they fought. The realization caused a different fire to light in Bridget’s heart, one that burned the knot in her stomach into ash.
As Syd closed in, Bridget blocked her blow, forcing them close to each other as their polearms briefly locked together.
“I want you to fuck me so hard right now,” Bridget growled with burning love for her warrior lover.
Syd stumbled, the lusty command catching her completely off guard. Bridget took immediate advantage of the break in concentration to land another blow, this time knocking her flail against the side of Syd’s head. She didn’t hold back, hitting Syd’s helmet with full force, and yet Syd’s helm didn’t shift an inch as her gaze was locked onto Bridget.
“Point to Bridget!” echoed in the training grounds, not that Bridget much cared anymore.
“You’ve got to beat me first, though,” she told Syd, speaking only loud enough for just her to hear. “So hurry up and beat me.”
Syd didn’t answer, instead simply pulling back to take up her stance on the far side of the ring. Bridget readied her own weapon, not willing to make this next engagement too easy on her giant lover.
“Begin!”
Before Bridget knew what was happening, her head was spinning and a strong grip was around her waist. In the next moment, she felt her feet land onto the ground, the fact that she had been held dangling in the air only registering after she had been set back down. Looking up, she saw that she had her back pressed up against Syd’s front, one of Syd’s arms around her waist while her flail wasn’t even in her hands anymore. Syd was holding her own weapon and Bridget’s in one hand, having disarmed her without her even noticing.
“Point to Jadis by ring out!” Steingrimur shouted.
Syd didn’t immediately let go, her breath coming hot and heavy, her helm causing it to echo in an ominous way. The fire inside of Bridget grew brighter with each breath, like a bellows fanning the flame.
“Go wait for me in our room,” Syd whispered to Bridget, her voice husky with lust. “I’ll be up as soon as I take care of something.”
“Alright,” Bridget gulped, stepping away from Syd. “See you there.”
As Bridget shakily took her flail back from Syd, she walked away from the sparring ring with as much dignity as she could muster. She didn’t think anyone had overheard what Syd had told her to do, but as she passed by Kerr and Thea who were practicing together, the therion gave her a sly wink.
Bridget’s face burned, but she didn’t feel any regret. So what if a few of the warriors around the ring might have overheard her and Syd talking? They were lovers, weren’t they? Lovers fucked. That was a fact of life. And ideally, she and Jadis would be fucking in the near future, as well as for a long, long time.
Who needed a cute blond boy when she had a gorgeous warrior queen to fuck her brains out?
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