*A bit of a delay, but here's the fourth episode finally, with thanks to my supporters!
I made initial sketches of the girls in the meantime for reference and their looks won't get a change for now, and I'll have to make one for Ulric as well to set his description in stone.
Our three friends are on their way through orc country and it seems one question gets answered during the trip.
Their discovery in the orc lord's house doesn't please them at all though.
*****
10 - Reluctant Healing
Iphigenia found traces of the old path at the edge between the forest and the rocky feet of the mountains and the three soon came upon the path leading up the steep side of the nearest mountain. It gradually became narrower and the wind became stronger the higher they climbed. Iphigenia took the lead with Elzbieta behind her and Ulric as last. He looked down over the edge of the path at the ground far below and shivered. 'I can imagine how dangerous it can be. If you're caught in a storm up here you'd probably get a free flying lesson.' He looked up. 'You don't happen to have angry stone giants throwing large chunks of rock at each other here, do you?'
Iphigenia chuckled. 'That's silly. Do you have them in your world?'
'No, just making sure.'
Iphigenia halted at a bend. 'The ledge is damaged here. Pieces of it are broken off and there's lots of loose rocks so be careful.'
They scraped the wall as they continued along the path, avoiding looking down too long at places where they needed to step across missing chunks. Iphigenia was glad to see the path was in better shape further off but a series of sharp cracks above their heads froze her in fear.
Large chunks of stone cracked loose and slid down the slope in an ever louder avalanche. Ulric growled sharp and shifted into scales the second he pushed Elzbieta against Iphigenia and pressed them against the wall under his body.
He grunted as the pieces hit him hard and scraped his back but his scales held. The path underneath their feet cracked under the assault though and they cried out as they fell down along the stream of rocks.
Ulric groaned and with effort pushed several heavy rocks from his back and shook his ringing head. He looked down quickly on Iphigenia and Elzbieta whom he had embraced on their way down. Iphigenia's right lower arm was bent and she quickly held her left hand above it and groaned a chant for healing through her clenched teeth. Elzbieta groaned in pain as she pulled up her right leg and examined her foot with a wrong angle. 'How bad is it!?' he asked.
Elzbieta hissed a breath. 'Broken foot. Don't think other major damage.'
Iphigenia finished her chant and placed her hand close to Elzbieta's foot. 'My arm's broken but I've dulled most of the pain. There's not much more I can do after doing the same for Elzbieta. I don't have enough mana right now.'
Ulric looked around at the rubble and up at the mountain side. 'We're wedged in a crack apparently. And the only way out is climbing up.'
Iphigenia looked up after finishing the healing chant for Elzbieta. 'And we're in no shape to move.' She met his eyes in a serious look. 'We're going to need your healing skill.'
He glanced at Elzbieta, looked up at the climb, and nodded. 'Yeah, I can't think of another solution either to keep us going.'
Elzbieta watched the two. 'What healing skill?'
Ulric coughed and fiddled with his fingers while his ears turned back. 'Well, it's something we found out after we, eh.'
Iphigenia blushed as she put her hand on his arm. 'You've seen his abilities, right?'
Elzbieta thought about them. 'You're talking about his essence of healing? What is that anyway?'
Iphigenia looked up at Ulric and let out an embarrassed giggle. 'Basically, he has a very powerful healing effect when he does a certain thing. At least, as far as we've found out.'
Elzbieta eyes went from Iphigenia to Ulric and back again and her stomach clenched lightly as something dawned on her in her subconscious. She narrowed her eyes. 'What kind of thing?'
Iphigenia let out a giggle again. 'When we have sex. It neutralised a lethal poison in me the first time.'
Elzbieta stared at her. 'He can heal you, through, sex?' she said and the memories of her involuntary intimate experience resurfaced. To fix her foot and get out of the current situation he'd have to do the same with her. For real this time. Her eyes grew large and she reeled back. 'What!? He!? We!? Together!? His thing!? In!? In!?'
Iphigenia nodded. 'There's no other choice but to die out here.' she said and smiled gently. 'Don't worry, it feels very good really and he can be very gentle.'
Elzbieta glared at Ulric. 'It didn't feel very gentle to me!'
Iphigenia gazed at her. 'It didn't, to you?'
Elzbieta's heart skipped a beat and she looked away while clenching the bottom of her body armour. 'I mean, it didn't look very gentle.' she muttered.
Iphigenia leaned closer and a sly smile formed. 'So, you saw us?'
Elzbieta wiped her thigh. 'It just sort of happened by accident when it took so long for you to return and I had to check up on you if everything was all right.'
Iphigenia sat back and smiled wider. 'So you watched the whole thing, eh?'
Elzbieta scratched at a patch of dirt with her fingernail.
'Did you also imagine doing it with him then?'
Elzbieta looked up at her at once and clenched her fists. 'I didn't need to imagine it when I felt him doing everything at the same time as he did you!'
Iphigenia sat silent for a moment. 'You felt him doing it?'
'Yes! All his licking and touching and his fingers and his thing inside me and making me come twice!'
Iphigenia and Ulric stared at each other. He scratched the back of his head. 'Could that be an effect of the familiar bond?'