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The morning sun had barely cleared the palisade when Alex, Elara, and the new arrival reached the village hall. Heads turned. Whispers followed them like smoke.
Serena Blackthorn walked with the lazy confidence of someone who had killed more men than most people had met. Every step made the leather of her armor creak softly. Her gaze never left Alex.
Inside the hall, Elder Rowan waited at the long oak table, flanked by the surviving guards and the village healer. The old man's eyes were sharp despite his age.
"So," Rowan began without greeting, "this is the stranger who felled Grash the Mountain-Breaker with a single touch."
Alex met the stare. "That's me."
Rowan leaned forward. "Willowbrook owes you a debt. But debts come with questions. Where are you from? How did you do it? And what price will you ask?"
Before Alex could answer, Serena spoke, voice low and amused.
"He's from nowhere you know, old man. And the price?" She flashed a wolfish smile. "He'll decide that himself."
Elara's hand tightened on Alex's arm, possessive and proud.
Rowan's gaze flicked between the three of them and settled on Serena. "And you, Blackthorn? Last I heard, you were hunting bounties beyond the Ashen Ridge. Why are you here?"
Serena shrugged. "Got bored. Heard goblins were getting bold. Then I smelled something far more interesting walking into the village." Her eyes slid to Alex again. "I follow interesting."
[Target: Serena Blackthorn]
[Arousal: 34/100 → climbing]
[Hidden desire: To be overpowered and claimed]
Alex felt the Pheromone Aura working overtime. Half the women in the room were shifting in their seats, cheeks pink, breathing shallow. Even the healer, a stern woman in her forties, kept glancing at him and then away.
Elder Rowan cleared his throat. "We have bigger problems than your… reputation, Blackthorn. Grash was only the vanguard. Scouts report the Goblin Queen herself is moving. Three days, maybe four, before her full horde reaches us. Willowbrook cannot hold."
Silence fell heavy.
Alex spoke into it. "Then we don't just hold. We take the fight to her."
Rowan barked a laugh. "With what army? We have twenty able bodies, half of them farmers."
Serena leaned against a pillar, arms crossed under her chest. "Give the man a day. He'll surprise you."
Elara squeezed his arm again. "He already surprised me. Several times."
A few guards coughed to hide smiles. Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Fine," the elder said at last. "One day. Show us something worth following, stranger. Or we evacuate at dusk tomorrow."
The meeting broke up. Outside, Serena fell into step beside them.
"Walk with me," she said. It wasn't a request.
They left the village by the north gate, following a narrow trail into the pine woods. Once they were out of sight, Serena turned, drew her sword in a blur, and leveled the point at Alex's throat.
"Fight me," she said. "No tricks. No pretty auras. Just you and me. I want to feel how strong you really are."
Elara started forward. Alex lifted a hand to stop her.
"Give us space."
Elara hesitated, then nodded and stepped back twenty paces.
Serena's grin was feral. "Good boy."
Steel flashed.
She was fast (faster than any human had a right to be). The first strike would have taken his head if he hadn't ducked on pure instinct. The second carved a shallow line across his ribs. Blood welled.
Alex grinned through the sting.
[Damage taken: Minor]
[Shared Vitality Link activated – wound closing]
Serena's eyes widened as the cut sealed before her eyes.
He moved.
No system skills. Just the raw strength and speed the last level-up had given him. He caught her wrist, twisted, and slammed her against a tree hard enough to knock the breath from her lungs. Her sword fell to the pine needles.
She laughed, wild and delighted, even with his forearm pressed across her throat.
"There it is," she whispered. "That's the strength I wanted to feel."
[Arousal: 78/100]
Alex leaned in until their lips almost touched.
"You want to submit?" he asked, voice low. "Earn it."
He released her and stepped back.
Serena's chest rose and fell fast. Then, slowly, she sank to her knees in the dirt, hands resting on her thighs, head bowed.
"I yield," she said. The words came out rough, hungry. "Take me however you want."
Elara watched from the shadows, lips parted, one hand pressed between her legs without realizing it.
Alex looked down at the proud rogue kneeling in front of him and felt power coil in his gut like living fire.
"Get up," he told Serena. "We're not doing this on the ground like animals."
She rose, trembling with anticipation.
They found a small clearing ringed by pines. Sunlight filtered through the branches in golden shafts. Elara followed, silent, eyes dark with need.
Serena stripped off her leather armor with practiced efficiency. Underneath she wore nothing but scars and muscle. She was breathtaking.
Alex pulled her against him and kissed her hard. She kissed back like she was trying to devour him. Teeth scraped. Tongues battled.
Elara stepped close, pressing herself to his back, hands sliding around to join Serena's on his belt.
[Three-way bond detected]
[Special event: First Harem Formation]
[All LP gains ×2 for the next hour]
Clothes hit the ground.
They took Serena first (together). Elara held her arms pinned above her head while Alex drove into her from behind. Serena screamed into the pine needles, body shaking through the first orgasm before he was even fully seated.
Then they switched. Elara rode his face while Serena rode him, the two women kissing over his chest, hands roaming everywhere.
The forest filled with their sounds.
When Alex finally came inside Serena, the rush of energy nearly knocked him unconscious.
[+2400 LP ×2 = 4800 LP gained]
[Serena Blackthorn → Companion Rank 1]
[New title: Alpha of the Pack]
[All companions within 100 meters gain +50% strength and speed while you are aroused]
Serena collapsed beside Elara, both of them flushed and gasping, bodies glowing faintly with the new bond marks (delicate pink runes on their lower bellies).
Alex sat up, breathing hard, every muscle singing.
[Current LP: 5478]
[Host Level 5 → Level 8]
[New skill unlocked: Lust Command (Active)]
[Force any target below your level to experience instant climax on verbal command. Cooldown 1 hour.]
He looked at his two companions (one gentle village girl, one deadly rogue) and felt the future open wide in front of him.
Serena laughed, low and satisfied. "Remind me never to challenge you again."
Elara traced the new rune on her skin. "We have an army to build. And only six days left."
Alex stood, naked and unashamed in the sunlight.
"Then let's get started."
(To be continued)