* Ulric and Valdys narrowly escaped the fight against the necromancer and it left her in a dangerously weakened state, there's just one thing he can do to save her.
*
25 - Healing
Valdys gripped her cloak in frustration but her grip was weak and it added only to how much she hated that she wasn't stronger. She had to watch powerlessly how Demetrus chased her and used his powers to abuse everyone and everything around him in his lust for power. Family, friends, town folk, the towns themselves and every living being, she witnessed the decay and destruction for countless years because she was kept alive. Even her spirit friends weren't safe from the recurring attacks by the undead servants of Demetrus in an attempt to take her to their master.
Ulric noticed the pained expression on her face as he sat with her in his embrace in a small arched cellar. 'Are you hurt?' he asked.
Valdys looked up at him. The worried look in his eyes and lowered ears brought her some comfort and she put her hand on his chest. She understood what he meant and gave a slight nod. The soft and warm sensation of his fur soothed her a little more but also made her regret to have let him and his girls help her and get caught in their current predicament. She sighed at all the knowledge she had but never having the power to use it, and made a feeble fist and put it to her chest. 'I wish for the strength to protect.' she said softly.
Ulric nodded as he understood. 'She's having a hard time feeling weak.' he said over the familiar link. 'Isn't there some sort of training to increase magic power?'
'I only know of some mages who were able to gain a little on specific magic through endurance training.' said Elzbieta. 'She won't be able to do that in her current state.'
Iphigenia chuckled and looked up. 'Wolfie, did you forget? You have the ability to boost her power.'
Ulric raised an ear. 'I do?' he asked, then realised it and blushed. 'Oh!'
'Yes.' said Iphigenia while Elzbieta and Kaui glanced at each other and blushed. 'There's really no other choice right now.'
Ulric looked at Valdys and cleared his throat. 'Yeah, true.' he muttered. 'I would've preferred circumstances to be better though. I don't want a repeat of the first time with Elz and make her feel bad because she was forced to do it with me.'
Elzbieta plucked at her gloves. 'It wasn't really bad.' she muttered.
Ulric smiled a little. 'Thank you, but don't make it seem better than it was for my sake.'
'I wasn't!' said Elzbieta and pouted. 'It did actually feel good when we did it.'
Iphigenia chuckled. 'Give her the choice. You won't have to feel bad if she's willing and you do your usual magic.'
Ulric sighed. 'All right then, I'll try to explain it to her.' he said and took a deep breath.
Through embarrassing gestures and drawings in the sand on the floor, he explained his essence of health ability and the way it worked, and the effects on the girls, but also that he couldn't guarantee it would work on her. Valdys imagined her face being bright red if she had blood to colour her cheeks, and glanced from the remarkable bloodwolf sitting in front of her with his head bowed and his ears drooped in guilt while plucking on the end of his bushy tail to the intimate pose drawing on the floor. On the one hand was what she heard was too strange to be true, while on the other hand she'd read about uncommon abilities people had possessed, although not as outrageous as his. Restoring health and even raising tallies through the carnal act with him was the only hope she had though. "The only other choice is trying to escape but most likely getting caught or killed before that." she thought and glanced once more at Ulric. The image of him embracing her filled her mind and her chest twisted in the urge of a heart pounding hard. "Would I regret it if it didn't work?" She sighed. It would be the end of her sooner or later, thus sharing a moment of awkward pleasure of the flesh was not a bad way to spend her remaining time. She smiled a little and giggled inside. "Besides, he's rather cute, all timid like that." She stared with wide eyes at the floor when she realised it was the first in a long time that she felt giddy. She held out her hand to him, confident the almost forgotten emotion was a good sign.
Ulric took her hand, nervous about living up to expectations, and moved up close in front of her. She smiled gently at him and pulled at the string of her cloak at her chest but her fingers lacked the strength to untie the tight knot. She glanced up at him and he carefully untied it, and pulled the string through the loopholes of the cloak going down to her lap. The front of her cloak spread and the sight of her bare pale flesh between them was a stark contrast with the black cloth, as well as a titillating sight.
Valdys was sure she'd feel her blood pump through her body if she was still human. The first time she bared her body for a man, who wasn't actually a man either. She hadn't expected to ever experience it since she was cursed but after all that time it had finally come. Whatever the outcome, she decided she wouldn't hold back and slipped the cloak from her shoulders. With some hesitation she glanced up at Ulric's reaction, afraid the sight of her dead body would turn him off in the end. His warm smile and gaze bathed her in relief.
'I take it she's pretty.' said Iphigenia after sensing Ulric's reaction.
He chuckled and admired Valdys's firm breasts with grey nipples that matched well with her eyes. 'Yes, she is. Her white flesh is quite a sight to behold.'
Iphigenia sighed. 'I'll bet it's every man's fantasy.'
'Oh, I'm sure every man has at least once imagined it.' Ulric said and smiled. 'Honestly, I find it very attractive as well. But that doesn't mean I find either of you girls any less attractive.'
Elzbieta huffed. 'Cheap words.'
He grinned. 'Oh, I'll show you how cheap those words are as soon as we're somewhere safe and very private.'
She blushed and Iphigenia licked her lips. 'That's another promise.'
'And glad to keep it.' Ulric said and laughed.
Iphigenia sensed her body heating up. 'Go make us all feel good, Wolfie, especially her now.'
He leaned forward and Valdys touched her forehead with his while speaking the incantation. 'Can you hear me?' she asked.
Ulric took her hands in his paws. 'I can.'
She smiled a little. 'I hope it'll work, but also that you won't be disappointed.'
He raised an eyebrow. 'Why would I be disappointed?'
She looked down. 'Because I'm an undead and cold.'
He chuckled and blushed. 'If I wasn't holding back down there, I'd be sitting here as embarrassed as I could be.'
She glanced up. 'Really?'
'Yeah.' he said and looked away. 'I don't really feel that way towards the others any longer, but when it's with a woman for the first time it still is.'
She giggled and nervousness faded slowly. 'This is not how I imagined it, but I think I'm glad to do it with you for the first time.'
He smiled softly and kissed her hands. 'I'll do my best to make it worthwhile.' he said and let go of her hands to remove her cloak, and laid her down on her back on top of it. 'I'm sorry there's no soft bed.'
She stroked his cheek. 'It's all right, I don't feel the cold and hardly feel the hardness of stone.'
