For almost a whole day I decided to interrupt my search. Simply because my ass was already tired of the saddle, and I still had plenty of different things to do to diversify my pastime. To begin with, I checked the sapling in the sand world, which had grown a little more, and then returned to the Roundtable Hold. Here I decided to learn more about prayers and the Erdtree itself.
"Hmm, the tree grants life and blessing. In the realm of the Golden Order, people knew neither hunger nor disease."
Quite convenient.
And in familiarizing myself with prayers, the local monk helped me. In general, I initially treated this guy with some caution. In addition to tying his eyes, he also put a wooden seat around his neck. It was immediately clear that he was some kind of blessed one. That's what lunatics used to be called. Nevertheless, if anyone should be asked about prayers, besides Gideon, it was him. Although, perhaps, studying religious things from a cleric is not the best idea. Of course, he may know a lot about prayers and use them, but he treats them as a devotee. I could use a cold look from the side, not clouded by religious fervor.
"You are interested in prayers?" the monk rejoiced at my interest. "Of course, I will tell you everything I know. This is my role, having renounced claims to the throne, I decided to comprehend the wisdom of the Two Fingers, to help the next Lord. Maybe that will be you? But I will share with you the accumulated wisdom anyway."
In some ways he was rather ascetic.
"Tell me, do you still see the visions of grace?"
"Well, yes… although I am not yet in a hurry to go after the Great Runes, grace still shows me the way."
"That is wonderful," the priest rejoiced. "Most Tarnished have lost this connection with grace. There are very few like you left. And I would advise you not to delay too long, before the Fingers turn away from you."
"So… what are these Fingers?" I frowned.
And really, what the hell are these fingers?
The priest opened his mouth, staring at me in shock. Though his eyes were closed, if he were looking at me, it would have been a very surprised look.
"W-what… you… don't know?" he faltered.
"I arrived in the Lands Between recently and am only just getting to know the continent."
"Unthinkable… you… then it is my duty to tell you about the Two Fingers! They are the chosen guides of the Greater Will. And though they have no mouths to speak, their gestures are full of wisdom. Finger readers can interpret their gestures. The Fingers dictate to us the laws of Order."
"Umm… okay… and these Fingers… do they literally have their mouths sewn shut? Or do they not exist at all?"
"They are Fingers…" the priest was surprised.
And with a trembling hand, he showed me two fingers.
"You mean it's not a figurative title, like they are the fingers of the Greater Will, they are actually fingers?" I was stunned.
"They are the Fingers of the Greater Will!" the priest said with inspiration.
"Umm…"
"And yes, they are fingers."
"I don't understand anything, but very interesting."
Later I found in one of the books a drawing of the Two Fingers, and that did not clarify the situation at all. Well, simply a creature in the form of a hand with two fingers looked rather grotesque by itself. But, let's just accept this as some sort of perversion of the Greater Will.
As for prayers…
"I can teach you the proper form of addressing the Two Fingers. As their chosen one, you may hope for their support."
And considering that I was still under the influence of grace, I decided to address these Fingers with the simplest prayer.
"Take this seal and try it," the priest handed me two strange rings.
They were supposed to be worn immediately on two fingers. And then the hands had to be folded in the standard prayer gesture. Imagine in the head the image of those fingers. And recite the chant.
"I pray for your blessing, do not let disease and wounds drive me away from the righteous path of duty. Share your power, that my body may be healed."
And I felt someone's close attention.
Here, right in this Hold, they were behind those closed doors of the Roundtable hall. And they responded to the prayer. My body was surrounded by golden light, and I felt a wave of relief.
"Simply wonderful!" the priest rejoiced. "They answered… you really are the chosen of the Two Fingers, they place great hopes on you. But now, use prayers only when they are needed, do not waste the blessing of the Two Fingers in vain."
"And now…"
"Now was your first prayer, your initiation and introduction to the Two Fingers."
"Hmm…"
In any case, these prayers turned out to be simpler than magic spells.
But at the same time, the source of the power of prayers was some external being, which decided whether to respond to the prayer or not. That was somewhat troubling. Nevertheless, the very embodiment of this prayer made me feel something important. The connection of grace with the Two Fingers and with myself. Perhaps the study of prayers will also help me understand the power of the sands.
Nevertheless, for now I limited myself only to reading.
And then I returned to the peninsula to continue the search for the demi-human settlement, where in the past the magi of the Academy had gone.
In the end, the minor Erdtree served as a kind of landmark, as did the church on the other edge of the peninsula. Thanks to them I realized that I had already passed the settlement, so I had to go back. I didn't find a descent on this side, so I teleported through grace closer to the suspension bridge, where I again had to face wild demi-humans. But then I came out onto a road, which seemed to lead me already in the right direction.
However, there was a little hitch. A loud noise distracted me from the path, the cries of people and the furious howls of demi-humans. Naturally, I became curious about what was happening there. But, to my surprise, getting to the source of the sound turned out to be not so simple.
First I came to the edge of a cliff, from which the road could be seen. And that was where the battle between Godrick's soldiers and the demi-humans took place. They were rather large monsters, among whom there were individuals with large feathered wings. They could even fly. And there were far more demi-humans attacking the soldiers.
But what was interesting…
Among the soldiers there were at least several fighters who not only mooed mindlessly, but commanded other soldiers and behaved more or less reasonably. And although I felt some desire to help them, in order to ask questions later, they were too far away for me to support the soldiers with magic. I still could not attack with spells farther than thirty meters, though I was working on it.
In the end, almost an hour later, I found a path and descended to the road, when the demi-humans were already butchering the dead soldiers. Dismembering them, the monsters clearly expected that even after resurrection these fighters would not be a problem.
By the way, maybe I could talk to the demi-humans?
"Ahem… greetings. May I ask what is going on here…"
"Human!" one of the monsters barked.
Hatred burned scarlet in his eyes, and not letting me finish, the demi-human rushed to attack.
"Well, as you wish."
Shaking my head, I retreated using time-slowing, and then attacked the beastmen with magic. Yes, they are also called beastmen, and even gnolls. And in appearance they sometimes differed greatly from each other. The demi-humans I had met earlier looked more like a mix between a man and a dog. These guys carried traits of humans, lizards, and birds.
Nevertheless, that did not stop the magical blades from striking them all.
Well, almost all…
"Hah… kill… kill…" the wounded monster wheezed.
I had deliberately left him alive.
"Hey, maybe now you'll talk?"
"GRAAAH!"
Gathering his last strength, he swung a massive cleaver, throwing his weapon at me. Hesitating, I barely managed to bend my body to the side, letting the projectile pass by. My heart almost stopped. Yes, I can control time, but it doesn't work purely on reflexes. Nevertheless, after dodging, I again slowed time to finish off the monster. He clearly didn't want to talk anyway.
Examining the broken cart and the bodies of the people, I didn't find anything particularly interesting, but I confiscated the weapons. A passion for collecting flared up in me. The sight of an expanding edge of swords and spears, covering the previously barren… umm, desert, in general, it looked in some way even beautiful.
Having finished with that, I decided to return to the bridge that separates the peninsula from Limgrave, and from there again walk along the road to find a passage into the woods.
"Hmm…"
After passing through a crater and teleporting through grace, I went out onto the road. And as soon as I walked a little toward the cleft between the rocks, I immediately caught sight of a young girl. Her eyes were bound, so she could not see me, but she clearly heard me, since she immediately called out to me.
"Who's there?" there was some fearful hopelessness in her voice. "Please… give me… a minute…"
"Umm, okay, my name is Kron," I introduced myself, dismounting from Torrent.
"Ohh… I… my name is Irina. I fled from Castle Morne, to the south."
"Oh, I see."
I had some idea where that was. The southernmost part of the Weeping Peninsula. Actually, I hadn't intended to go there, but I marked it on the map.
"The servants of the castle rebelled. I don't know exactly what happened… my eyesight has been weak since birth. But I swear I heard terrible screams. My father led me out of the castle, but he stayed himself, he said it was his commander's duty."
"Oh…" I was surprised. "And he just sent you off alone?"
"No…" she shook her head. "I was with a carriage… but on the way the servants attacked us. I heard screams and the sounds of battle… I barely managed to escape… but now I don't know… what to do next."
"And you are asking me for help?"
"I… if you go to Castle Morne… I would like you to deliver a letter to my father. I'm afraid they will kill him too. I beg you… please… take this letter…"
I frowned skeptically. Of course, I had every chance to fulfill this request, but someone else in my place might get into serious trouble if they decided to help this girl.
"So you want me to go to this castle, full of mad servants, who will surely attack me, to deliver this letter to your father, who may not even still be alive?"
"Forgive me…" she lowered her head. "You're right, that is… too much… I don't dare to ask such a thing."
But a blind girl, alone in the middle of the road, so helpless and begging for a favor. My heart just clenched with pity.
"Ohh… well, I think I could do that," I sighed. "Although I wasn't going in that direction. I need to go to the western part of the peninsula."
I was mostly just grumbling.
"You really… my God… thank you, I thank you with all my heart!" the girl rejoiced.
She raised her head, as if looking at me through the blindfold. And despite the ambiguity of the situation, looking at her lovely face, I felt a surge of warmth in my loins. Well, great, this guy doesn't know when to stay calm.
However…
"Ahem… one thank you will not be enough…" I said, trying to add more confidence to my voice.
"A… what?"
Coming closer, I reached out my hand and stroked the girl's cheek, which made her flinch.
"Your request is rather… risky. I'll have to risk my life and put off my affairs to help you. Don't you think that deserves a more substantial reward?"
"I… you want…"
The girl's cheeks turned red, she clearly understood what I was hinting at.
Well, I just thought it would be nice to play with her a little. Although, because of this demand, I started to feel like a scoundrel. But at the same time, I could still roll back time. So whatever I did with this girl, it would not matter afterward.
"In fact, I am very much in need… of a woman's affection," I told her, taking Irina by the hand. "And if you help me with that, I'll fulfill your request."
"You…" the girl's voice trembled.
Sighing, I thought this was getting too awkward. Playing with a girl in frozen time was much easier. I'd probably do just that. But before I stopped time, Irina squeezed my hand tighter.
"Do you promise?" she asked anxiously. "If I… I'll do whatever you want… but please… promise me you'll take this letter to my father…"
"I promise," I swallowed nervously.
"I… what should I do?"
"Ghm… stand up and come here…"
I pulled her by the hand and led her to a stone partition that separated the road from the surrounding area. Once it might have been a fence along the road, but most of it had already been destroyed by time.
Now, pressing the girl against this wall, I also made her bend over so it would be easier for me to lift her dress and pull down her underwear, baring her butt. After that, my fingers dug into her soft cheeks.
"Mghm… m-master…"
"It's all right," I explained impatiently, licking my lips. "I want you to feel good too. Even though I forced you…"
"I… but I agreed…" Irina whispered muffledly.
Lowering my own pants, I pressed my hard cock against her pussy. The girl was anxious and even frightened, but not aroused at all. So I decided to keep caressing her for a while, to give her body at least some motivation, besides our deal. But I didn't forget about my own pleasure either.
Sliding my cock along her slit, brushing against her clit, I lowered my hands to her thighs and squeezed my shaft between them. The soft skin of Irina's legs gave an amazing feeling, especially when I began to move my hips, sliding between her tender thighs. At the same time, my cock was rubbing against her clit…
"Ahh…" a moan broke from her lips.
Covering her mouth with her hand, she tried to hold back the new moans, but not very successfully. I could still enjoy the ringing melody of her voice. Realizing that the girl was also feeling pleasure from this, I felt relieved. My conscience had been pressing on me, insisting that all this was wrong. Even if time could be rewound and this wrong act erased from the fabric of existence.
"Oh, looks like… you're ready," I sighed, feeling more moisture trickling from her pussy.
"Mghm…" she exhaled.
"Spread your legs a little wider."
"Y-yes…"
Irina answered in a quiet whisper and obediently did as I asked. Now it was easier for me to enter her wet pussy. I watched as my cock spread her lips, pushing inside. Licking my dry lips in anticipation, I grabbed her waist and made the first thrust.
"Ahhh!" the girl flinched painfully.
I felt my cock tear her hymen. And when I pulled out most of my shaft, I could see streams of blood running along it.
"I-it hurts… master…" Irina whimpered. "It hurts…"
And along with the pleasant feeling of possession, it also brought some rejection.
Entering her again fully, feeling her tremble, I felt my excitement cooling. Doing this while realizing every thrust was hurting her was just unpleasant.
"Ohh… no… this won't do…"
Wincing, I used my power to rewind time back to the moment before I tore her. And then I tried again.
"Oaahhh…" Irina moaned tensely.
I slowly and carefully penetrated her pussy. My cock stretched her hymen painfully, but it was elastic enough to, with difficulty, let me through.
"Please… master… you're tearing me apart…" the girl gasped, clutching the wall.
Even from her tone, it was clear that while the stretching was painful, it wasn't as bad as when I had actually torn her. So I didn't stop. Even if it was uncomfortable for her, the desire to possess her was unbearable. Still, this time I moved more carefully, trying not to harm her.
Slowly sliding in her pussy, my cock was tightly gripped by her flesh. It felt as if she was trying to push me out, but that only made it better.
Leaning toward her back, I ran my hands up her waist, slipping under her clothes, and grabbed her soft breasts, squeezing them in my hands.
"Mgh…"
But, giving in to lust, I made a thrust too sharp and tore her hymen again, making her scream. I had to rewind time again and try once more. Only this time I didn't allow myself to hurt her.
"God… Irina… it feels so good inside you…" I whispered in her ear.
And immediately felt her pussy walls clench tighter around me. She reacted sensually to this confession. Despite everything, in a way she liked being able to make a man feel so good.
My tension reached its peak, my cock felt like it was about to explode, and with a satisfied sigh, I came inside Irina.
"Ahh…" she shuddered, feeling my cum fill her.
There was so much of it that it began to leak out, even though my cock was still inside her.
"You… inside…"
"Don't worry, we'll redo it," I smirked.
And after fully enjoying the sweet languor washing over my body in waves after the powerful orgasm, I rewound time again. This time I pulled out at the last moment, spraying thick cum on her thighs.
"Hot…" she gasped in surprise.
"Hah… amazing…"
"N-now you…
"Oh no, we're not done yet," I smiled.
"But you just…"
"It's not enough for me. We agreed you'd satisfy me, but once isn't enough. You can feel that, can't you?"
Pressing closer, I slid my cock between her thighs again, rubbing against her clit so she could feel that my shaft hadn't softened.
The girl…
"A-a-a-ahhh…" Irina moaned sweetly.
And shuddered, squirting from her pussy. Her legs buckled and she almost collapsed, but I caught her in my arms. She was also already on the edge, and when I rubbed against her, Irina couldn't hold back and came too.
"Heh… looks like you enjoy it too."
This time I only used her thighs.
Squeezing my cock with the soft skin of her legs, I fucked her this way without entering her pussy. The pressure of her thighs was enough to give me pleasure. Here I didn't have to hold back as much, I could speed up. My thrusts became rougher and more impatient.
"Ohhh…"
And finally, I reached a second orgasm, squeezing her legs tighter around me, and shot cum right under her dress. Hah, I thought it'd hit the ground, but I hadn't considered her clothes, so my cum splattered the inside of her hem.
"Now kneel down here."
Pulling her hand, I made her turn to me and kneel.
"What do you want?" she asked carefully.
Though her eyes were covered with a blindfold, she felt my cock hovering right before her face.
"Mgh…" she shuddered as my tip touched her lips.
But after a deep breath, she opened her mouth and obediently took my shaft inside. She understood what I wanted from her. Resting her palms on my hips, she began slowly sucking.
"Good girl…" I stroked her head.
She grabbed my shaft with one hand for convenience and, along with her mouth, stroked it with her palm. Her tongue wrapped pleasantly around me, sending waves of pleasure into my groin. Though now it took longer to release the rest of my cum. But Irina managed. She didn't seem very experienced, but she knew what to do. And I was too aroused to be picky. After all, when a young, beautiful girl is pleasuring you, even clumsily, it's enough to bring immense pleasure.
"That's it… ohhh… get ready."
Grabbing her head with both hands, I released my cum in her mouth. The feeling of my load splashing onto her tongue sent sweet shivers through my body.
"Hah… no, don't spit it out," I noticed she wanted to. "I want you to swallow it."
"Mhh…" Irina's face looked plaintive.
But she obeyed and swallowed my cum.
Her obedience made my head spin with a sense of power. It seemed I could make her do anything I wanted.
And even though it wasn't right… I didn't want to erase it. I had started because I could rewind time, planning to erase it once I was done playing with her. But it was too pleasant to just erase from history. I wanted to keep the satisfaction. This desire was also helped by the girl's relatively calm state. She didn't look traumatized. And I was almost sure she had enjoyed it too. At least, she had also climaxed from my touch.
So…
"Good… you did well, Irina. And I'll fulfill your request," I said, stroking her head." But what will you do?"
"I'll wait for my father here…" the girl sighed.
"Seriously? And you're not afraid servants will attack you? I also saw demi-humans nearby, and they were quite aggressive."
She flinched at my words but wasn't surprised.
"I… I can't do anything else… I'm nearly blind… and I have nowhere to go…"
"Hah, looks like I'll have to take care of your safety too. It'd be a shame if I delivered your letter but you got killed here by some monster."
"N-no need…"
"Don't be afraid," I sighed. "I won't do anything else to you. We had a deal, and you kept your part. I really just want to keep you safe."
"I don't… I just don't want to burden you more, Master Cron…" Irina said guiltily.
"Don't worry about it," I shook my head. "Take my hand, I'll take you somewhere you can wait. Later I'll bring your father there so he can take you."
"Ah… what is this place?"
"Maybe you've heard of it? The Roundtable Hold."
"So… you're Tarnished?" Irina exhaled in surprise.
"Yes. Is that a problem for you?"
"No! It's fine…"
In the end, she agreed to accept this small help.
And since I had promised, I set off for Castle Morne to handle her request. Though it felt less like fulfilling the deal and more like making up for guilt toward the girl. Still, I didn't want to rewind.