After they had finished their dinner, the party moved through the early night with quiet efficiency. The encroaching tiredness from the day’s travel and the late hour kept most conversations to a minimum as they rinsed the pot in the lake and unpacked their bedrolls. With the Cracked Peaks now firmly behind them, they didn’t need someone on watch duty, but Rolan had ingrained it into them that making it a habit would keep them safer in the long run. For tonight, that meant the rangers had volunteered.

Elena should have been glad to get a full night’s rest. As she settled down for the night, though, her racing thoughts kept her from falling asleep. Every time Elena’s fingers brushed against the inside of her bedroll, it felt like sparks travelling up her arm. The experiments with Malice were already a few hours in the past, yet her mind couldn’t let the implications go.

Of course, the fact that she was still so close to the weapon that had caused these doubts in the first place didn’t improve her mood either. Malice mirrored her restlessness for all the wrong reasons. Her first night with the blade, Elena had spent actively training, and that had barely satiated it. The idea of doing nothing now seemed to offend the sword on a fundamental level.

In the end, Elena conceded that sleep would probably not find her for a while longer. Instead, she opened her eyes again to look around their camp. The embers from their campfire were still smoldering in the fireplace, but they didn’t give off much light. Only the backdrop of the star-filled sky allowed her to make out anything.

Nearest to the remains of the fire was Ray, sprawled out and already long asleep. The frigid mountain air didn’t seem to bother the Blackwolf, as her limbs stuck out every which way. A few paces away, the knight commander lay next to her. In contrast to Ray’s chaotic sleeping position, Rolan slept the same way he tried to do most things: highly organized. His shield, helmet, and sword were all beside him, laid out in an orderly fashion. If someone attacked them at night, there wouldn’t have been enough time to don the full set of armor, but Rolan could still be ready to defend himself in seconds.

Elena’s eyes lingered on her two biggest companions for a minute, but eventually they drifted away from their bedrolls and the dying embers. In the pitch black, it took another second to identify anything, but eventually the heroine made out one more shape off to the side. Part of her had expected Tela to be awake as well. In retrospect, she wasn’t sure why. Maybe their nightly encounter had set up a false assumption, or it was her boredom seeking an outlet. Regardless of what she hoped for, the elf, too, was sleeping soundly. Elena felt a bit disappointed about it, but her attention didn’t turn away from the mage’s sleeping form just yet.

As she watched Tela’s chest rise and fall with every breath, the heroine’s mind naturally shifted back to their shared night, and, for once, Elena didn’t have to hide the physical reaction to that thought. Of course, the member between her legs hardly stirred at idle imagination, but part of Elena couldn’t help but feel relieved at not having to cover it up. She would have to learn how to suppress these reactions at some point if she truly intended to keep her new anatomy a secret from her other companions, even if a part of her resisted the notion. It wasn’t like the heroine had wanted to grow a dick, but now it was there all the same. So part of her wondered why she should feel shame for something she had no control over.

Before her thoughts could spiral too much, Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was almost ready to have another attempt at falling asleep as she gave one last scan of the camp. This time, though, with her vision more accustomed to the low light, her gaze found something that gave her pause. Or rather, didn’t find something. The last two bedrolls were both empty. Of course, nothing was stopping the other party members from staying up alongside whoever was on guard duty, but it was a rarity. Elena, at least, was more than glad to get whatever rest she could, especially if she knew that she would have to keep watch later that night. Scanning the area again, though, she didn’t see either of the ranger twins in bed.

The heroine quickly sat up, and a spurt of adrenaline already flushed the tiredness out of her system. Before she could fully get up, though, she spotted the silhouette a few paces away from camp. Although it was too dark to make out clearly, Tino’s figure was still recognizable by his narrow frame and short hair. His sister was probably also around somewhere. As her heart calmed down again, Elena thought about going back to bed. There was no reason for her to be awake at this hour in the first place, but deep down she knew this would be a restless night for her.

Similar to Rolan, the heroine had taken off the most obstructive pieces of her armor to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Now she had to be careful not to bump into them as she got up. Malice was lying next to her, the blade almost close enough to touch her directly in her sleep. Although the weapon had spewed out more of its black blood, the liquid had coalesced on the cutting edge instead of flowing out. Only the ground directly beneath it had been seared away, while the wild grass and flowers next to it were untouched.

Elena quickly reached out to the cursed sword and held it firmly in her hand. As she crossed the few steps through their camp, she made sure to always point it away from her companions or their belongings. The ground was slightly uneven, but her initial destination wasn’t far. Before she could reach it, the twins, or at least one of them, had already noticed her approach.

As Tino turned around to look who it was, his focus momentarily stayed glued to Malice. For a moment, Elena could have sworn she saw his eyes widen as he made out the black outline of the weapon. Part of her wanted to say it was out of fear. The light made it hard to be certain. Of course, the weapon delighted in his reaction, but Elena didn’t let it bother her. Tino quickly turned away anyway as he reached out to a shadow in his lap. Due to the ranger’s position, Elena couldn’t make out what exactly he was doing until the figure lying there woke up.

Elena couldn’t make out the exact words said, but she quickly identified Tina’s disgruntled voice. Apparently, the other woman was not happy to be woken up, as she started shuffling about. Only when she met Elena’s eyes, did the ranger apparently wake up fully, as Tina suddenly scrambled away from her brother and fixed her tousled hair.

Once she was close enough for them to talk without waking up the others, the ranger girl was the first to speak up. “H-hey, Elena. Didn’t know you were still up. No reason to, you know… with us keeping watch and all that!” Her brother slowly let his eyes settle on Tina again, but didn’t interrupt as her face grew a shade redder. “Anyway, what can we do for you? I don’t think we need any help, if that’s why you’re here.”

For a moment, Elena blankly stared at the girl as well. Tina seemed to grow only more embarrassed until the heroine finally responded. “I… couldn’t fall asleep. If you’d prefer, I can go again.”

“Ye-” the ranger stopped herself as Tino gave a more intense glare. “I mean, you’re welcome to stay… but it’ll be a rather boring night, trust me.”

The other ranger just let out an exhausted huff of air, but didn’t deny his sister’s words. Elena wasn’t sure what exactly the two had been up to, but it was clear that she was unwanted here. Malice’s anger momentarily flared up at the dismissal, but neither of her companions noticed. Outwardly, the heroine nodded. “It’s okay, I didn’t want to disturb you anyway. I’ll probably just go back to my prayers until I’m ready to sleep.”

If the two wanted some privacy, it wasn’t her place to deny them. Besides, the thought reminded Elena of her earlier self-isolation and the doubts that still lingered in her mind. With most of the party sleeping, now might be the perfect opportunity to quell them without drawing attention… especially from the elven mage.

“Just make sure you get enough rest. Tomorrow will still be tough, even if there are fewer demons around.” Tino suddenly called out after Elena turned to leave. Giving one last glance at them, the heroine responded: “Alright. You two should probably follow that advice as well.” Tina looked as if she wanted to respond, but her brother had already returned his focus to the valley below. It was far too dark for Elena to make out anything, but Tino gently pulled his sister down. The other ranger whispered a few more words, but it was too quiet to discern.

Making her way through the dark, Elena wasn’t sure why exactly she went to the same spot she had chosen a few hours prior. At night, the hard ground would sap her body of warmth even faster, and without her armor, the idea of more rocks chafing against her legs wasn’t all that comforting either. Still, the heroine zeroed in on the spot as if it was the most natural thing. When she spotted the small, lifeless spots on the ground, she got closer to inspect them. The last vestiges of Malice’s blood had long since vanished, their potential for destruction not even strong enough to cut through the thin layer of dirt. In the end, all it had done was kill a few blades of grass. Even the residual corruption would probably be purged before the year was over.

The heroine knelt down next to it, in the same spot as earlier. Without her armored skirt, only soft fabric covered her legs, and the ground did indeed feel colder. The discomfort wasn’t at the forefront of her mind, though, as Elena instead pulled her weapon closer. For a moment, she wanted to lay Malice across her lap as before, but stopped herself just in time.

Her clothes weren’t very expensive, and if the sword’s touch ruined them, it would have been trivial for Elena’s power to replace them. Still, she didn’t want to use the Goddess’ gift for such frivolities. As a result, she had to think about where to put her weapon down. Technically, it wasn’t the blade itself she needed to sate her curiosity, only the corrupted blood it leaked. She could have simply laid Malice on the ground next to her, or propped it up against the rock.

Both the weapon itself and Elena’s conscience disagreed with the idea, though. Utilizing the sword as a simple tool already disgusted the weapon, but using it solely for the liquid it produced went against the very nature of the dark blade. And then there was the sight of the dead plants around her. Elena knew wielding Malice would involve the destruction of life, most of it demonic, but that was all the more reason not to kill the uncorrupted without good reason. It might not have resulted in much damage, but why should she expose the tranquil nature around her to more corruption than absolutely necessary.

In the end, that led Elena to a rather scandalous thought, but she couldn’t really come up with something better on the spot. Besides, nobody was around to see her, so she wordlessly hiked up her skirt a bit to reveal her bare flesh. Without the risk of someone judging her for it, the frigid mountain air felt strangely normal to the heroine as it brushed against her. If it hadn’t been for the changes of her body, and the events that they had led to, she wouldn’t have even given the act another thought.

Elena didn’t let her moment of introspection stop her, as she positioned the sword in her lap, making sure it wouldn’t touch her clothes. The sensation of the blade touching her directly caused an involuntary shudder. Elena had expected it to be cold, like the steel of her armor. Instead, Malice felt warm, almost as if it were alive.

A small coating of corrupted blood cushioned the weight, but unexpectedly, it didn’t flow down her thigh. The liquid instead pooled where her skin met the blade. It was impossible to see what was happening there in detail, but just like the earlier contact on her fingers, Elena swore she saw a soft glow emanating from it. In response, the pulses of black fluid only increased as her heart started to race. Part of the heroine felt as if she should rip the weapon away before more could happen, but Elena didn’t move it away. Her Protector would keep her safe, there was nothing for her to fear.

She wanted to believe it, so she kept her eyes focused and didn’t give in to her doubts. Faith grounded in fact was always the most steadfast, after all, so the easiest way to be reassured of her protection was to see it for herself. Involuntarily, though, her hands came together in a gesture of prayer. Then, as she wordlessly mouthed a few words to her Goddess, her steadfastness led to a surprising discovery.

Even if Malice now rested against her thigh, the blade still spewed out its endless supply of black blood, but the epicenter of that eruption had shifted. Although she had held the sword for a while now, Elena hadn’t really thought much about where the black blood flowed from. It leaked out of the entire blade, seeping out of the fractures in the material, seemingly from nowhere, but the effect was slightly stronger near the handle.

Forged not from metal, but the natural weapon of the World Dragon, Malice didn’t have a handguard in the traditional sense. The sword still looked reminiscent of its organic origin, with its thickness slowly increasing as one traced down its form. Only the handle was artificial, a piece of metal wrapped in black leather, inserted into Destruction’s trophy to repurpose the tooth into a more effective tool of death.

The cutting edge of the weapon, however, was not all that sharp in and of itself. Instead, the constant coating of corrupted blood simply allowed the sword to carve a path of destruction through any material. To be an effective weapon, therefore, the edge of the blade needed to be coated at all times. A fact that, surprisingly, didn’t seem to pose a problem for Malice. Even with the blade pointed slightly upwards, most of the black blood flowing over the weapon did not abide by the laws of gravity. The darkness simply crept its way up the sword until it pooled to a small droplet at the very top. The only exception was near the handle. There the blood also clung onto Malice, but at least it flowed toward the ground.

The reason for that discrepancy was readily available to Elena. The point from which the black blood seemed to originate was about a third of the way up the blade, where Malice was now resting against her bare thigh. Anywhere above that point of contact, the blood slowly worked its way up, while below it, the liquid coalesced near the guard. Given enough time, it would probably fall down, eating more of the grass and dirt beneath her.

Elena’s eyes, however, were neither looking up the blade nor down to the handle. She was focused on the point of contact, where the dark flow seemingly started. Or maybe it was more accurate to say the sword reacted to her? She didn’t remove the sword, but Elena moved her head further down to see. Although it was basically impossible to do so. Even when the sun had been out, it had been hard to discern Malice’s details, and now in the starlight, Elena was less looking for what she could see and more for what she couldn’t.

The sword, even with its dark color, still reflected some of the surrounding light into her eyes. Minuscule fractures in the material, the soft gleam where it touched her flesh, and shadows laying themselves onto it hinted at what the blade looked like. The corrupted blood, in contrast, remained pitch black. The only way Elena knew that it was creeping along the blade was because of those details vanishing from view. For a moment, the endlessly deep black was the only thing she could see, before it slowly inched further up. This heartbeat of her sword had a strangely hypnotic rhythm to it, and Elena stared at the waves perhaps a second longer than absolutely necessary.

Why? The question circled in her mind. Why was Malice reacting in such a way? Why was her body doing whatever it was doing at the contact point? And why had nobody told Elena what it all meant? Perhaps the sword was doing it out of self-defense? Just as Creation couldn’t co-exist alongside Destruction, the same was true in reverse. Maybe—

“Do I really want to know what you are doing out here?”

Elena almost screamed out at the sudden voice breathing down her neck. The sword shifted around her lap as the heroine whipped around to look for the intruder. At the same moment that her hand wrapped Malice’s handle, a fresh, even bigger wave of black blood spewed forth, coating the blade in dripping Evil.

Despite her earlier impression, Tela was not actually standing right beside the heroine. Instead, the elf was a few feet away, and well out of range of Elena’s panicked strike. However, Tela’s eyes were still locked onto Malice as it swung through the air. Unlike its wielder, she seemed to have no difficulty making out the sword’s form as it sliced through the empty air.

“Tela! By the Goddess! Don’t scare me like that!”

Elena pulled her weapon back as soon as she realized she wasn’t actually under attack. Thankfully, Malice’s blood drops had clung to the sword, even as they pulsed out with new intensity. The heroine quickly pointed the blade down, a position that slowly became second nature to her as she looked her companion over. Tela’s sleeping clothes were basically just the underlayer of her traveling gear, although she had apparently put on her shoes before finding Elena.

Although she was dressed for bed, Tela’s eyes did not look tired in the slightest. Instead, they hid that same spark of curiosity that Elena had learned to dread.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” The surprise of Tela’s arrival must have shaken the heroine more than she thought, as her words came somewhat breathlessly.

Even when she responded, though, the elf only looked over the sword instead. “So should you. Tomorrow will be some of the roughest terrain ahead of us.”

After a second of silence, Tela took the first step closer. Her focus momentarily followed a drop of black down to the ground, where she also spotted the lifeless patches of dirt. Tela’s expression did not outwardly shift, but her movements became a bit slower. Unfortunately, Elena recognised the sign. What Tela saw did not deter her curiosity in the slightest. Instead, it only made her more intrigued.

“You are experimenting, I see.” It was neither a question nor an accusation. Still, Elena hid the weapon that caused it as if Tela had caught her red-handed. Seeing her reaction, the elf seemed amused. “It’s good that you are, trust me. But you should have included me.”

“No,” the word slipped out almost on its own. “I told you, Malice is my burden alone and my responsibility. If something happened to you…” As Elena imagined the worst-case scenario, the sword in her hand grew warmer.

“I’m not stupid, Elena, and neither are you. I have read more about demonic corruption alone than most elves have in their entire lifetimes. All I’m asking is that you use my knowledge, all of it.” Tela tried to take another step towards her, but Elena retreated. Or at least she tried to. Stepping backward would have been an easy way to trip down the mountain at night, so in reality she barely moved from her spot.

“No, I have to keep you safe. You don’t… you can’t know what Malice is capable of, okay? I-I appreciate the offer, but it’s better you don’t get involved.” Tela was now standing directly before her and, for the first time, she met Elena’s eyes. The heroine swallowed involuntarily, her eyes drawn almost directly down Tela’s shirt.

“But I want to get involved. Besides, having someone to watch your back would probably be safer for you and your belongings.”

It took an embarrassingly long time for Elena to process the words, but when she did, her confusion only grew. She wanted to ask what Tela had meant, but before she could, the elf simply glanced down. Following her gaze, Elena saw her thighs… her very much exposed thighs. What had once been a cloth skirt, thick enough to wear in the mountains, was now hanging on by just a few threads. And even those were dissolving more with every moment.

Quickly thinking back, the heroine tried to figure out when that could have happened. The only moment she could think of was when she had jumped up in surprise when Tela had first called out to her. Had her skirt been falling apart that entire time? Of course, Tela’s attention to her crotch area also caused a reaction down below.

As Elena’s dick sprang to life, it was all her destroyed clothes could take. The skirt’s waistband had already been reduced to just a few strands of fiber, so it quickly fell apart. What remained of Elena’s skirt hit the ground with a dull thump, but neither of the two women paid it any mind. Instead, both focused on the slowly hardening appendage now growing between them, even if for very different reasons.