207: The Healer's Light, Part Fourteen

The Healer's Light, Part Fourteen

At some point, Neve had lost track of time. 

Maybe it was after the fourth orgasm. Or the fifth. Around the time of one of those, the rest of the world, Starlight City included, may as well have just stopped existing. 

And Erin still wasn't done. 

At this current moment, Erin was wrapped around Neve's body, with one hand hard at work between Neve's legs, and their tongues dancing around each other, as Neve came once again. 

The instant this wave of pleasure passed, Neve fell back on the bed. 

That {Relentless} trait she gained earlier clearly did not apply to sex because Neve felt like she'd just run two marathons back-to-back. 

"Oh dear, it would appear my summoner has melted. How awful," Erin said as she gave Neve a kiss on the cheek. "I suppose we can call it here... Ah, what a workout." 

Erin stretched her arms up, a proud grin on her face as she looked down at Neve. That was the last thing Neve saw before she fell asleep. 

By the time she woke up, Erin was sitting at the bed's edge. There was a book in her hands that she quickly closed as she realized Neve was up. 

"Good morning~" Erin sang softly as Neve rubbed her eyes. 

Hours had passed and yet the air was still thick with the scent of sex. 

"I told you we'd ruin this bed," Erin said as Neve looked down at the furniture. She had no idea how much of the humidity was owed to the water that had been on her body when she walked out of the shower and how much of it was a result of her and Erin's tryst. "I'll be honest, I was worried I may have lost my touch since it's been quite a while since my last time... But, I think I performed decently. Making your partner pass out from sheer exhaustion is not the best result I've achieved, but, it'll do, for now." 

The implication became clear as Neve sat up, joining Erin on the bed's edge. 

[We really did cross the line, huh?] 

And it looked like there was no walking that decision back. Not that Neve wanted to, but the progress their relationship had made fell on Neve's mind like a cannonball. They'd gone all the way and likely would in the future as well... Provided that Neve made it out of the Final Challenge alive. 

"... We shouldn't have gone all night like that," Neve muttered. 

"I didn't hear you complaining when you were gagging on my tail." 

"That's- whatever, let's..." 

Erin wrapped an arm around Neve's back, stopping her from getting up. 

"Relax," she said. "We've got time. Aphria isn't going anywhere, the city isn't going anywhere, and there's no one to chase after. Calm down." 

Admittedly, Neve struggled to do that. There was still a voice in the back of her mind telling her that she needed to get out, that she needed to keep moving. Almost like she was still in pursuit of some great vengeance. 

One could argue that she was, but, Erin was largely right. Sure, Starlight City was being overrun but Neve still couldn't say she cared much about that. She had time. 

So, Neve did something she hadn't done much over the course of the last few months. 

She stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, knowing that she could afford it. 

"There," Erin said with a warm hand still resting on Neve's shoulder. "Now, how about some breakfast? Does that System of yours have anything tasty?" 

"... Yeah, give me a sec." 

---

The rest of the morning was rather domestic. Neve and Erin ate some eggs and bacon, while the healer went online and checked the news to see if the world had ended while she fucked the night away. 

Thankfully, it hadn't. 

Humanity was still holding out, but the reports she saw were quite grim. A few cities had fallen, all around the world, as a result of these outbreaks. The ones that hadn't were managing to hold on, though they had to give some ground to the rampaging monsters. 

Neve took it all in, knowing that the actions she'd take today would either save or doom this world. 

As this was indeed it. She would tackle the rest of the Floor today. 

Given what she'd noticed upon waking up, she felt like she and Erin had a decent chance of making it through. 

"Hm, Neve, did you cast any magic on me without my knowledge?" Erin asked, slithering up to Neve, who was at her desk. "I feel quite a bit stronger." 

Looking over Erin's head, Neve was told by the System why that was. 

There were two reasons. 

Firstly: 

Status Effect Applied!

Charm

{Increase attributes by 10 for 24 hours} 

Erin Leynall

Level 67

MP: 250/250

EXP: N/A

Activity Points: N/A

WS Tokens: N/A

Mood: 100% (Lover)

---

Endurance: 65

Speed: 80

Precision: 95

Strength: 55

Arcane: 25

As the Bloodstained Rags' description pointed out, when Neve performed a "loving gesture" on an enemy, they would temporarily be under her command. When Neve performed such a gesture on an ally, their stats would be boosted. 

Previously, giving Erin a kiss boosted her Attributes by 2, for some minutes. 

Apparently, this current buff was the result of fucking all night, since Neve had been wearing her Bloodstained Rags throughout the session's entirety. 

Given that Selene's Charm hadn't run out either, Neve guessed that the effect of eating her out was probably running on a similar duration. 

The second reason why Erin was probably feeling a little bit stronger than usual was this: 

Mood: 100% (Lover)

{Effect: While close to her lover, Erin Leynall's Techniques and Spells deal 25% more damage and last 25% longer}

{Warning: This effect will be lost if Erin Leynall's mood worsens.}  1

Thanks to these buffs, on top of the usual ones Neve would cast on her, Erin may have been one of the single strongest individuals in any world. 

And yet, this remaining gauntlet of the 10th Floor would likely still prove difficult for one reason: 

Her Skills hadn't changed. 

[If it really is true that all of the enemies on this Floor have their Skills set at 100, even all of these stats might not be enough to make our fights from here on "easy", though, it will definitely be easier, at the very least.] 

Charlotte called Neve then, just as the healer had been about to stand up and walk away from her desk. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey," Neve replied, leaning back in her chair, "what's up?" 

"Nothing much. I don't want to take up too much of your time, but, I felt that I should remind you. Streaming your fights would probably serve to give our lovely citizens of Starlight City a bit of a boost in morale, you know?" 

"Ah, right," Neve nodded. "I'll do that." 

"Good, good... So," Charlotte sighed, "how much is left?" 

"I think this should be the last section," Neve responded. "It should be over in a few hours." 

Judging by the silence on the other end of the call, Charlotte understood the weight of that answer. 

"Good luck, Neve," Charlotte finally said. "I'm very much looking forward to seeing you in person one day." 

"Is that right?" Neve asked quietly. "I'll do my best." 

That was a promise she was not making lightly. 

With that call out of the way, however, she couldn't stall any longer. 

It was time. 

Neve walked out of her tent, finding Aphria in exactly the same spot she'd been in last they talked. 

Walking up to her now, the angel's eyes fell on Neve with a hint of mirth. 

"You're loud in bed," she stated. "You're lucky I don't require sleep in this weird state I'm in, or I would have walked in and told you two to quiet down." 

Neve's face reddened a bit. Admittedly, she'd definitely lost control after a point, last night. 

Setting that aside, however, Neve asked: 

"Are you ready to head out?" 

"Not really," Aphria replied with a dry throat. "But, I will, since I have to. The sooner you finish your business here, the sooner I can get back to rotting or fading away. So, come on." She stood up, pushing her chair back and setting her tea down. "Let's go." 

A while later, Neve, Erin, Aphria, and Selene were all standing before the Hall of Miracles, where, if the fact that the boss marker was located here was anything to go by, Neve would likely finish The Final Challenge. 

"I will stay here," Aphria stated. "Come back out when all your enemies are dead and then I'll keep walking with you." 

"Sure." 

As Aphria said that, Neve turned on the camera she'd mounted onto her body. It was linked to her streaming account which meant that, from here on out, the people of Starlight City would see everything that happened. 

"Are you prepared, Neve?" Erin asked. "You didn't forget anything back at our lovely tent?" 

She was asking it lightly, but Neve still felt the pressure in her words. 

"No," she replied, though. "Let's do this." 

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