The group woke up with the first rays of light cresting over the mountain tops. Ray was, as usual, the first out of bed, as she called out to the sleepy elf still on watch.

Elena, meanwhile, got pulled from her dreams by her companion’s talking and the already ongoing breakfast preparations. Although her brain still struggled with the usual morning grogginess. It was always a struggle for the heroine to leave the warmth of her bed behind and the frigid mountain range they had camped in made it all the more enticing to stay just a few more minutes. As Elena snuggled into her bedroll, however, she noticed the bedroll was protruding strangely between her thighs. Her left hand slipped inside to smooth out whatever crease had formed over the night, when she suddenly brushed against her new appendage.

For a moment, Elena’s fingers wrapped around the rod, not fully comprehending what it was she was feeling. Her member was almost harder than it had been last night, and compared to the freezing air, it burned with an intense heat. As the heroine put her hand around it, the feeling quickly worked its way up her body. The touch should have paled in comparison to Tela’s mouth, but giving a few testing motions, the heroine couldn’t help but let out a low moan. Before she could lose herself completely, however, a rhythmic metal clanking from across the camp finally snapped her awake.

Rolan was sitting there, inspecting his metal armor for damage and cleaning off yesterday’s grime. It was a habit the old knight commander had acquired long before Elena had ever become Chosen. This morning, though, the noise crashed into the heroine like a bucket of cold water.

The hand that had vanished moments before rushed away from Elena’s crotch with a bit too much force as it got caught on the inner padding. Shuffling her legs a bit, the heroine tried her best to hide the obvious bulge. Thankfully nobody had paid the sleeping heroine any attention to begin with. The ranger twins were preparing breakfast, Rolan was still distracted by his routine and the beastkin was too far away to have seen anything.

Elena let out a small sigh of relief before she suddenly caught her last companion looking over. Although Ray had relieved Tela from her watch duty, the elf had not come over to the camp yet. She wasn’t watching out for outside threats though as Tela was focused on the heroine instead. For a second, the two women simply stared at each other. Elena could feel the warmth in her cheeks as last night’s events replayed in her mind but Tela seemed unbothered by it. In the end, the heroine was the one to look away.

Elena was still hiding the newest addition to her body, even from the people she normally trusted with her life. In fact, if the elf hadn’t figured out her secret, she would have kept her new appendage away from Tela the most. She knew just how obsessive the elf could act whenever something unexpected fell into her lap. But with the turn of events last night, an uncomfortable question remained. Was the heroine actually… embarrassed about the penis between her legs?

It had been a gift by her Goddess, so naturally Elena’s first instinct was to deny the notion. The heroine had never felt embarrassed about a gift from her Lady before. However, this time was a lot different to her blessed suit of armor, or the Chosen’s uniquely powerful magic. Both of those godsends had come with the express purpose of helping her in future battles.

The gift between her legs, meanwhile, was designed for… Well, that was kind of the question, wasn’t it? Elena’s armor protected her body from the demons, her Goddess-given magic was versatile and effective both in combat and beyond. But this… thing, she didn’t see any useful purpose. It complicated her relationships, made her feel vulnerable and even now, a strange hunger stirred within it at the memories of Tela’s mouth.

Unless, the heroine thought with a small shudder, that was the point. Did her Lady want Elena to show vulnerabilities, maybe to get closer to her companions? However, if that was the case a simple command would have sufficed. The last time Elena had heard her Goddess, she had implied nothing of the sort, but maybe her Lady had been too on edge from the Chosen pulling the sword free. It didn’t sound like the Goddess she knew, but receiving Malice was undoubtedly an important moment. Elena let out a small sigh. This was far from the first time she would have loved to receive a clear answer to her prayers. Unfortunately, it was never that simple with her Lady.

Finally getting out of bed, Elena decided against revealing the truth for now. The topic wasn’t likely to ever come up anyway, and at worst it might alienate her companions. The only party member who wouldn’t care was Tela. The elf had been very open in that regard before but the Chosen had long made peace with the difficulties her quest represented for her love life. As a result, the heroine concluded that keeping last night’s distractions as a one-time occurrence would probably be for the best. Even if a part of her insisted it would be a waste.

Eventually Elena’s mind had calmed down enough for her to look back up at the elf without her embarrassment showing. Tela had still not moved from her spot and the only indication that she wasn’t lost in her own thoughts were the elf’s eyes occasionally roaming over Elena’s body. As far as the heroine could tell, her companion mainly stared at either her face… or her crotch.

Thankfully the Chosen’s hard-on wasn’t prominent enough to show anymore, but the unfamiliar focus Tela showed her caused a slight stirring nonetheless. The rest of the party didn’t pay Elena or the elf much attention, so the heroine went over on her own.

“Have you noticed anything new since last night?”

As soon as the heroine came within earshot, Tela already spoke up. The elf’s voice was matter-of-fact, but Elena could see something familiarly unsettling in her gaze. It had been a while since the heroine was the subject of Tela’s endless curiosity in full force. The elven hunger for detail made Elena’s skin prick, but she was more focused on keeping the blood from rushing to her cheeks.

“N-no. Everything’s still normal… or still the same as yesterday, at least.”

Tela gave a small nod, before she suddenly took a step forward. The two were still too far apart for it to be seen as intimate, but the heroine's first thought was to retreat all the same. For some reason, though, Elena’s feet remained planted to the ground. A quick glance away assured her the others weren’t watching at least.

“Nothing at all? No sudden new urges? And nothing from your Goddess?”

Elena’s mouth opened to answer but no words came out. After another awkward moment, she just shook her head a bit too vigorously. If Tela was aware of the effect she was having, she didn’t seem to mind.

“Actually, have you noticed anything strange when using your powers?”

The elf stared into Elena’s eyes, but the Chosen suddenly struggled to keep her gaze on the smaller woman. Thinking back to yesterday at least gave her an easy out. The only time she had used her Goddess-given magic was to seal up the dark sanctum… and after the battle.

Malice stirred in her hand, seemingly picking up on her thoughts. Using the weapon to kill the demon horde had felt great. Perhaps a bit too much judging by her recklessness yesterday. Still the heroine couldn’t help but be reminded of the other effect the battle had caused in her.

Before she could spend too much time reminiscing, though, her companion pulled Elena back to the present. Tela still stood a bit too close in her personal space, but she was no longer studying the heroine’s face and had instead shifted her attention further down. The erection in Elena’s pants was thankfully not fully formed just yet, but by now it was big enough for both women to notice. While the elf grew only more intrigued at that, the Chosen finally managed to take a half-step back.

“A-as I said, nothing’s changed.”

Tela didn’t seem to care for Elena’s embarrassment as she inched a bit closer.

“Really? Could you use your power-”

At that moment, a new voice saved the heroine.

“Hey, you two coming to eat or not?”

Quickly turning around, Elena saw Tina waving them over. The ranger had already cut up some of the hardtack to soften it up in her morning tea. It was normally the last part of the smaller girl’s breakfast preparation. Tela didn’t seem to appreciate the interruption but for the heroine, it came as a godsend.

For the past few weeks, the party’s food had mainly consisted of unappetizing, but long-lasting rations and today’s breakfast was no exception. In the corrupted mountains around them, few edible plants grew and animals were likewise a scarce sight. As a result, foraging for supplies would have been a waste of time anyway.

Elena didn’t mind, though, as she quickly walked over and plopped herself down next to her companions. A moment later, Tela also joined them. The heroine could feel her companion’s gaze on her but pretended not to notice.

Before long the party was back on the road. The plan for today was as straightforward as it could get: going east. They had finally left the most corrupted landscapes of the Cracked Peaks behind them and were now following a poorly maintained path through the mountains. In the absence of another ambush or unexpected demon horde interrupting them, the journey was filled with idle party banter.

“So… you really have to carry this thing around with you from now on?”

Tina was walking ahead of the heroine, her back turned towards the road. Despite walking backwards, the girl somehow managed to perceive where she was going. The ranger simply stepped over any protruding rocks or holes in the ground as if it was the most natural thing to do. Instead, her focus was solely directed at the black sword in Elena’s hand.

“Yes. If I were to let go of it, the blade would soon corrupt its surroundings before returning to its sanctum at some point.”

Of all the lessons Elena had received in the Kingdom, that piece of information had been stuck in her head the clearest. If anyone but her touched Malice, they would quickly become consumed by the blade’s hatred. Only her divine protection kept the heroine safe.

“Then why not just take the sheath with you? Seems a lot more convenient than stabbing yourself as soon as you trip over something.”

The mental image of that caused a small chuckle from the heroine. After a moment, she simply decided to demonstrate why that wouldn’t be a problem. Elena loosened her left glove until a small area of bare skin peeked out below. Laying the cutting edge of her weapon against her wrist, she made sure the ranger was actually paying attention. Normally that simple touch should have already damaged her flesh, but as the Chosen of her Lady, even pulling the blade along her skin didn’t pierce it.

“As long as I hold true to my Goddess, the blade can’t hurt me. As for the scabbard, I…” Elena thought about that for a few seconds. Why exactly didn’t the Chosen ever pick up Malice’s sheath? “I’m not really sure.”

As was often the solution to such knowledge gaps, the Heroine turned towards the elven mage. Tela was making up the rear of their group and normally would have answered already. Right now, though, the shorter woman seemed lost in thought. At least until she noticed the attention focused her way. In her head, Tela was probably replaying the last few minutes to catch up but outwardly the silence only lasted a second too long.

“The answer to that is two-fold. First, the scabbard of Malice is nearly as corrupted as the sword itself. It was exposed to millennia of unholy energy, after all, so even letting it touch the ground for too long would be… ill-advised with others around.”

At first Tela made sure to direct her words at Elena and the ranger girl. Eventually, though, her eyes also landed on the corrupted sword.

“And number two, Malice itself will return to its sheath after its wielder… completed their journey. It is a barely understood process with no surviving records, but sooner or later, the weapon will return to its prison. If the scabbard therefore fell into Evil’s hand, it is likely the sword would return to the Shadowlands instead. Most likely it would just be used to sow mindless destruction there, but its displacement would make it significantly harder for future Chosen to acquire the weapon.”

While the rational part of Elena could understand the reasoning behind that, a small voice in the back of her mind actually got mad at that explanation. One of the reasons she had to hold on to the corrupted blade for the rest of her life was that her end had already been taken into account. It was only a small nagging thought, and for the most part, she understood the need for a contingency.

Nonetheless, the topic caused Elena’s mood to darken. Without fully intending to, she slowed down a bit as her eyes roamed the weapon. The heroine’s eyes followed on of the smaller drops of black liquid oozing from the blade when a new touch on her other arm caused her to jerk away.

“You know, if that troubles you this much, there is an obvious solution.”

Tela’s words finally got Elena’s gaze to leave her cursed sword and look over at her companion instead. The elf’s fingers hadn’t withdrawn yet as they wrapped around her forearm uncomfortably warm and insistent.

“What do you mean?”

Tela let out a small annoyed sigh.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? You’re the chosen of Creation itself. If any mortal could create a new sheath, it would be you.”

Elena considered that idea and she almost wanted to agree, but something stopped her. Besides, the way Tela was holding onto her caused the hair at the back of her neck to stand up in alarm.

“I-I don’t think- Maybe my magic would weaken Malice or something. I… The other heroines didn’t need one either.”

With a bit more focus, Elena pushed on again, but Tela quickly matched her pace.

“That’s no problem. I could even make some schematics for you to follow.”

The heroine tightened her grip around her weapon in growing annoyance.

“It’s fine. As I said, my predecessors didn’t need one either.”

Tela didn’t relent that easily. “Just because something has never been done before, shouldn’t stop you from trying. Worst case scenario, you just don’t use it.”

At the elf’s insistence, even Tina’s eyebrows rose up in silent surprise. Elena spoke up before the other girl could though.

“No. It’s fine. The Goddess’s power shouldn’t be abused for my convenience. I’ll carry the sword just as my predecessors have.”

Not arguing any further, Tela finally fell back again. The ranger gave one glance at her brother but he was focused at the path ahead. In the end, Tina turned back toward the heroine with a small frown but nothing more happened.

Although the discussion was over, a quiet layer of tension remained over the party. For the most part, Elena just followed the rangers walking upfront but for every mountain they crossed, yet more snow-tipped peaks revealed themselves on the horizon. As the path before her grew steeper once more, the heroine couldn’t help but let out a frustrated sigh.

Malice’s weight threw off her stride and the impromptu armor adjustments she had made in the sanctum started to chafe after a while. Elena had tried to pull her belt tighter to keep it from moving around but that had felt even more uncomfortable. Loosening it hadn’t helped either though, as her pants started to slide down with every step. Worse, yet the damn thing between her legs seemed to have a mind of its own, swelling and shifting for seemingly no reason.

As the group slowed down at a switchback, Elena pulled out her water skin from her belt. It was an innocent motion, but she still made sure her companions were looking the other way as she subtly adjusted the way her armor pushed into her nethers. Of course, at that exact moment the elf behind her caught up to the heroine.

“Problem with your armor?” Tela sounded casual, as if she didn’t know what Elena was really doing. Maybe she just didn’t care. Elena’s hand quickly pulled back all the same.

“No. Just… there was a rock caught between the folds.”

The heroine quickly took a step forward, but almost cried out in pain as her leg shifted forward. With her adjustment only half-way complete, it only made her problem worse. Her hand quickly brushed over the hurt area, pulling the tough leather and metal plates away from the source of all her recent troubles. Elena could feel the eyes digging into her back, but the elf didn’t comment. Instead, the commander in front of them spoke up.

“Don’t worry. We’ll make camp soon.”

Soon, as it turned out, was still uncomfortably long for Elena, but she didn’t complain. Only when the sun touched the tallest mountain peaks behind them, did the party look for a camp spot. To her senses, the area still felt largely the same, but the soreness in the heroine’s legs told her that they had made real progress today. The only reprieve from her tiredness, perhaps, were the idyllic camping locations the mountain range offered.

Elena could see for miles into the green valleys below, framed by the white peaks around them. There was nothing close to a forest, but a few groups of trees clung to the mountainside, presumably giving shelter and nourishment to any critter that called this region home. Up at their elevation, meanwhile, there were patches of greenery fed by snowmelt, sprinkled with wild flowers. Animals, however, seemed entirely absent. Neither the buzzing of insects nor the singing of birds could be heard. The only sounds Elena could decipher were the rustling winds howling over the mountains. In a way, the area was one of the few locations untouched by both people and demonic corruption.

For tonight, the party had set up camp next to a mountain basin fed by a small waterfall. In the red evening sun, the droplets reflected the light in a brilliant display. The water represented a welcome respite and an opportunity for the party to refill their water skins and clean off the gunk that had accumulated during their journey. At its freezing temperature, however, it would be too cold for all but the most foolhardy from actually taking a dip inside. Naturally, that meant Ray was already soaking wet.

The beastkin woman didn’t seem bothered by either the temperature or her party members able to see her. In a way, it might have been stranger if that last one had actually bothered Ray. It wasn’t the first time she had stripped down to bathe, and from her perspective nothing had changed.

Elena, however, couldn’t help but be very aware of her own body’s changes since last time. Before she had been… blessed with her newest addition, the heroine had never really noticed when she grew aroused or how it might show to others. Despite her reaction down below, though, her eyes couldn’t help but be glued to her companion’s trained body.

Ray’s sculpted muscles revealed the years of physical effort and training, that must have been put into them. Along her abdomen, Elena also glimpsed the large scar dipping in and out of the lake. It was the most notable feature on the beastkin’s body and Ray had been quite proud to regale the story the first time she had caught the heroine staring. At the moment, though, Elena’s focus was directed just above it.

The heroine couldn’t help but swallow a bit as the crystal clear lake water made Ray’s perky mounds glisten in the evening sun. When the beastkin rose slightly, one droplet lazily rolled down her breasts to one of the nipples. The two hardened points betrayed how the Blackwolf was very much affected by the cold temperature. Elena couldn’t help but shift on her feet as the pressure between her legs became almost too much.

Of course, at that very moment, the subject of her arousal noticed the heroine staring.

“Elena, come on! It’s not that cold, trust me!”

Ray didn’t sound offended or ashamed of either her state of undress or Elena’s obvious attention. Instead, she waved her over.

“N-No, thanks!” Elena yelled out a bit too quickly, but Ray didn’t seem to care.

“Oh, come on! It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

As the beastkin shifted back into the lake, she seemed to relax a bit. Elena was, at first, disappointed, but with the most tantalizing body parts of her companion hidden, her arousal might finally calm down a bit. Then a fresh bout of panic crashed into the heroine when she realized what exactly Ray was doing. The other woman was not actually relaxing in the frigid water. Instead, Ray suddenly pushed herself off the lake bed and rushed partway to Elena’s shore.

“No! Trust me, I’m fine out here. I should probably help out with the camp or get some… firewood? Yeah, sorry Ray!”

Before the beastkin could see the tent in her pants, Elena quickly took a few steps in the opposite direction. At first, she turned toward the literal tents getting set up by the others. They must have overheard her shouts as they were all looking up from their work. Rolan and the twins returned to it just as quickly again but Tela instead met eyes with Elena.

The elf must have realized what sort of state the heroine was in right now, as she gave a pointed look down. Elena quickly turned away and instead marched a few steps in the opposite direction. To her companions, it might have seemed strange but that was definitely better than being seen as… what? Some sort of pervert?

Ray at least, didn’t seem offended as the heroine walked down the mountain a bit until the lake vanished behind a boulder. Leaning against the cold stone, Elena did her best to calm her racing thoughts. Her face was burning up in equal measures from arousal and shame. Part of her was almost tempted to go back and join the beastkin just to cool down. Trying to suppress the other part of her that wanted to return, though, was reason enough to stay away for the moment.

Squeezing her eyes shut, the heroine slowly got her breathing under control. She was the thirteenth Chosen of Creation. She had walked into the twisted mountains and was now wielding the most corrupted artifact in existence. There was no way such an… unusual reaction to her companions would get the best of her.

Peeking out with one eye, Elena confirmed that the ongoing pressure between her legs was actually the truth. Her… penis was still as hard as before. Making the situation even worse, the mental image of Ray bathing didn’t actually vanish. Last night she had expelled that same energy by training with Malice and the sword seemed to hum in anticipation. Elena didn’t stand up, however, as she closed her eyes again.

The ground was hard and unforgiving, but the heroine tried to not be bothered by it as she knelt down, adjusting her weapon in her lap. Why exactly her Goddess had bestowed her with this transformation remained the biggest mystery on Elena’s mind. Even if she received no answer, however, the Chosen wouldn’t let the corrupted weapon be the only crutch for her to rely on when dealing with these urges. Hopefully, her arousal would calm down once she got used to the change, but for now she returned to her go-to method of dealing with stress.

‘Please, my Lady. Grant me the strength to persevere through this challenge.’

Clasping her hands was made difficult by the sword, but Elena didn’t let it deter her as she moved her mouth in silent prayer. The familiar motion finally steadied the turmoil in her mind and body, but the answers she sought felt as far away as the sun vanishing beyond the horizon.