Welcome again! Next chapter of my story. I am aware that the gaps between parts are quite long. I write as much as time allows, and I would like to publish more often. To remind you of what was happening in the last chapter, I added a small reminder. Below is a reminder of the skills, and then there is the chapter.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Huge thanks to Netrepid for editing.
--- Reminder ---
Ava Black, the twin sister of Thomas, competes with him for the title of the best mage at the Academy. She just ended her talk with support's tutor, Rachel, during which she suddenly felt unwell. Despite this, moments later, she and Asher agreed to explore the dungeon together on Saturday. Ava returned to her room, while at the same time, Asher, horny after his talk with Rachel, sought out his girlfriend Elara, who was supposed to go with their new friend Madelyn to the library.
--- Skills reminder Asher ---
Building harem - allows adding members to a harem, grants relationship levels, and limits the number of members to 1
Building relationship - grants exp points for sexual activities (kissing, touching)
Stats amplification - Asher doesn't get his own stats, but gains 1% of his partner's stats
Partner enhancement - Asher can boost 1 of his partner's 1 stat for 10 points
Additional protection - members of harem can't get pregnant
--- Skills reminder Elara ---
Fast Attack - Elara gains 5 agility for one attack (upgraded by Asher - removed negative effect of reducing strength)
Better eyesight - Elara can slightly better detect traps in dungeon
Nimble movement - Elara can slightly easier dodge attacks
Master essence - when there's Asher's cum in Elara body, she gets 5 agility
Powerful attack - for a single attack, deal additional 20 damage. Only available if Asher made Elara orgasm in the last 3 hours
--- Ava Black ---
Why was I so tired?
That question popped into Ava's head. She was leaning against the door of her bathroom after she returned from her talk with Mrs. Shaw - the support's tutor at the Academy. The fire mage wanted to find out more about supports and who would be the best choice for her team. The talk didn't go as she planned. However, she found an answer to her question.
Asher. He was the best choice for Ava. The teacher suggested that he could help Ava achieve her dreams. But she couldn't stop wondering: Why him?
She slowly took off her clothes and walked into the shower. She hoped that it would help her rouse herself. Ava took a deep breath and turned the tap. Freezing water poured over her body, and her first instinct was to jump out of the shower cabin, but she clenched her fists and waited until she became accustomed to the cold water.
Ava tried to slow down her breathing, but it was hard when numbing water cascaded over her body. She counted sixty breaths and increased the temperature.
She adjusted the water slightly warmer, which allowed her to focus on something other than the cold penetrating her skin and shocking her nerves.
That thermal shock dispersed the mental fog from her mind. Even during the walk to her room, Ava was feeling better, but now she felt almost normal.
Even this fatigue vanished suddenly.
Ava was relaxing under the water, but at some point she realized that she felt better. She wasn't tired anymore. She analyzed everything that happened from the moment when Asher and Mrs. Shaw entered the corridor.
Ava learned that something was special about Asher, and he is the best possible teammate for her. She decided to find out more about him. As quickly as possible, before anyone else discovers it.
She was glad that she agreed with Asher to explore on Saturday, or at least get to know that Elara and her boyfriend are interested, but she has to talk with the assassin first. That was interesting to her. Just as Asher's question if the ranger and tank that she was set up with were women.
However, something else didn't give her peace of mind. The strange behavior of Mrs. Shaw. And how suddenly Ava felt bad during their talk. And how suddenly she felt normal again.
She turned off the water, and her whole body tensed. Only one reason came to her mind.
Mrs. Shaw used some skill on Ava.
--- Rachel Shaw ---
The door of Rachel's room closed. She just finished the talk with Ava Black. The teacher was staring at the door and wondering if she had gotten carried away. She used one of her skills on a student. She shouldn't do it, but she knew people like Ava. They were using everyone for their own benefit. To become better than her brother, Ava will not hesitate to take advantage of Asher.
Asher. Rachel had never heard about a class like his. Class that was connected to sex. Powerful class, which could be dangerous for him.
Someone might want to take advantage of him. He might be hurt. Asher can make anyone a better explorer. When people learn about that, they will want to use him to become better, and then they will abandon him.
They would play with his emotions, pretend that they care about him, and then break his heart, take advantage of him, and in the end get rid of him as useless trash.
The same way they did with her.
Rachel slammed her fist on the table. Her whole hand ached, but at this moment, she didn't care. She had only one thought in her head. She will not allow anyone to hurt Asher, just as they did to her.
--- Elara River ---
Asher pecked Elara on the lips and went after Rachel. They used the exit for the teachers.
"Umm..." Elara heard behind her and turned to look at Madelyn, who seemed hesitant.
"Do you want to go to the library together?" Madelyn asked shyly.
It crossed Elara's mind that Asher just left, so perhaps it wasn't only about him because Madelyn wanted to spend time with her too.
"Sure. Do you know where it is?" Elara asked, even if she was sure that the girl knew.
"Yeah, I will take you there. I can show you around and point out books worth reading," the support girl offered and perked up instantly.
Elara smiled back. Madelyn's spirit was contagious. The support girl led them through the corridors of the Academy.
They walked in silence, and Elara looked closer at her guide. Madelyn was short, and it was hard to tell anything more about her body because of her clothes, which effectively hid her body. But her face was adorable; her crystal blue eyes, light skin, and long, light blond hair made her look really cute and innocent.
Elara didn't spend a lot of time with her, but she had the impression that Madelyn was nice. She stuck to Asher for the whole day, but maybe she wasn't attracted to him. Maybe she just wanted to find new friends.
That would explain why she wanted to spend time with Elara now, when Asher wasn't close anymore. But Elara knew that Madelyn was from here, she lived in that city her whole life, and she knew people from the Academy. Elara was curious why Madelyn was not spending time with them.
When Elara met her, she was accompanied by Zoe and Sam, but if she understood correctly, both of the girls joined Madelyn and Asher.
Could she have wanted something more from Asher? Elara's intuition told her that Madelyn didn't want to seduce Asher, so she shouldn't worry about that. But Elara was still pondering if she should talk about this with the support girl or whether to get to know her better.
It would be helpful if Asher had a friend in his class group. If Madelyn didn't want to take Asher away from Elara, then she would be a good person for that. Elara decided to find out Madelyn's motivations, but she wasn't sure how to do it without being too obvious. Now, it was a good moment because Asher wasn't with them.
Madelyn led them to a spacious room. Elara noticed rows after rows of bookcases. Between them were tables, but also armchairs that looked perfect to sink into them and lose yourself in reading.
"We're here," Madelyn announced, turning towards Elara. The assassin noticed happy sparks in the support girl's eyes. "Is there something you want to check out first? There are so many books here, many of them exciting. There's even a whole section dedicated to the assassins. I can show you," Madelyn offered, and she didn't give Elara time to answer. She rushed further into the library.
Elara caught up to her after a few quick steps. "Maddy, wait," she said, grabbing her by the hand. Madelyn jerked up and snatched her hand away, she turned around abruptly and took a step back. She held her hand to her chest. Elara, for a brief moment, could notice fear and panic on her face, but Madelyn quickly relaxed and smiled lightly, clearly embarrassed.
"Sorry, you surprised me. You want to see something else first?"
"I want to talk first," Elara declared, looking around. There weren't a lot of people in the library, only a few wandered around. Elara noticed a few tables set up further from the entrance, where she didn't see anyone and thought it would be a good place to talk in privacy. "Let's sit and talk."
"Okay," Madelyn answered hesitantly.
Both of them moved between bookshelves full of books, Elara was never a big fan of reading, so she wasn't interested in them. But she considered that maybe it was time to change that, especially when they could provide her with knowledge about dungeons. On the other hand, the idea of spending hours reading one book didn't sound so enticing to her.
Elara sat in front of Madelyn. Should she ask straight forward about her intentions towards Asher?
Madelyn shifted in her chair, and Elara had the impression that she was nervous. "Umm... what do you want to talk about?" she asked.