Day 17 Post-Impact - Dawn
The assault team moved through the pre-dawn darkness.
Twenty-six awakened, divided into three groups. Team One led by Sarnav. Team Two flanking under Nisha. Team Three holding the perimeter with the remaining fighters.
The shopping complex loomed ahead, a twisted structure of collapsed roofs and shattered glass. Even from a hundred meters away, Sarnav could feel the wrongness emanating from within. Cold. Hungry. Alien.
[VOID NEST DETECTED]
[THREAT LEVEL: SIGNIFICANT]
[ESTIMATED HOSTILES: 80-120]
[NEST HEART LOCATED: CENTER STRUCTURE]
[RECOMMENDATION: DESTROY HEART TO DISRUPT COORDINATION]
"Everyone in position?" Sarnav spoke into the radio.
"Team Two ready." Nisha's voice, steady despite the tension.
"Team Three holding perimeter." Chen Wei confirmed.
Sarnav looked at his assault squad. Ishani stood beside him, her hands already glowing with soft golden light. Hafiz crackled with barely contained electricity. Two other D-ranks completed the group.
"Remember the plan," Sarnav said. "We punch through to the heart. Everything else is secondary. Ishani, you're with me. The rest of you clear our flanks."
"Understood." Ishani's eyes met his. Something passed between them. A promise. A reminder.
After this, she'd said. After this, you're mine.
"Move out."
The first contact came thirty meters from the entrance.
Void creatures erupted from the shadows, dog-like shapes made of darkness and hunger. F-rank fodder, but numerous. A dozen, then two dozen, then more.
"Hold formation!" Sarnav charged into the mass, his C-rank strength turning every blow into a killing strike. Creatures dissolved under his fists, their void essence scattering into nothing.
Beside him, Ishani's light blazed.
Beams lanced through the darkness, cutting down creatures before they could close. Her power was beautiful in action. Elegant. Deadly. The void creatures recoiled from her radiance, their shadow-flesh burning where the light touched.
"On your left!" she called.
Sarnav spun, catching a lunging creature by the throat. He crushed it without breaking stride.
"Thanks."
"Watch my back, I'll watch yours."
They fought as a unit, their styles complementing each other perfectly. Sarnav's brutal close-range devastation paired with Ishani's ranged precision. Nothing got past them.
[COMBAT SYNERGY DETECTED]
[ISHANI SUPPIAH - COMPATIBILITY BONUS ACTIVE]
[DAMAGE OUTPUT: +15%]
[COORDINATION: EXCELLENT]
The entrance fell within minutes. Bodies littered the ground, already dissolving into wisps of dark energy.
"Push forward," Sarnav ordered. "The heart is inside."
The interior was worse.
Void corruption had transformed the shopping complex into something nightmarish. Walls pulsed with dark veins. The air itself felt thick, wrong. Creatures lurked in every shadow, more appearing as fast as they could be killed.
Team One fought deeper, leaving a trail of destruction.
"There's so many," Hafiz grunted, lightning arcing between his hands. "Where are they all coming from?"
"The heart. It's spawning them." Sarnav ducked under a lunging creature, drove his fist through its chest. "We need to move faster."
"I can clear a path." Ishani's glow intensified. "But I'll need covering fire."
"Do it."
She raised her hands, light gathering between her palms. The glow built, brighter and brighter, until Sarnav had to shield his eyes.
"Everyone down!"
The light exploded outward.
A wave of pure radiance swept through the corridor, incinerating every void creature in its path. The darkness recoiled, shadows burning away, leaving clear space ahead.
"Move! Now!"
They sprinted through the gap before the shadows could reform. Ishani stumbled, her face pale from the exertion.
Sarnav caught her arm. "You okay?"
"That took a lot. I'll need a minute before I can do it again."
"Stay close. I'll handle anything that gets through."
They pressed on.
The heart was in what had been the complex's central atrium.
A massive structure of crystallized void energy, pulsing with sickly purple light. Creatures swarmed around it, dozens of them, including several larger forms that radiated E-rank energy.
And in the center, something bigger. Something that made Sarnav's enhanced senses scream warning.
[ELITE DETECTED]
[VOID GUARDIAN - D-RANK]
[ABILITY: SHADOW MANIPULATION]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH]
[NOTE: GUARDIAN WILL DEFEND HEART TO THE DEATH]
"That's a problem," Hafiz muttered.
The Guardian was massive. Three meters tall, vaguely humanoid, its body a constantly shifting mass of shadows. Eyes like cold stars burned in what might have been a face.
"I'll handle the Guardian," Sarnav said. "The rest of you clear the fodder and destroy the heart."
"That thing's D-rank," Ishani protested. "You can't fight it alone."
"I'm C-rank. I can handle it." He met her eyes. "Trust me."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Don't die. You owe me a night."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
He charged.
The Guardian met him head-on.
Shadows lashed out like whips, faster than anything he'd faced before. Sarnav dodged, weaved, let his enhanced reflexes guide him. A tendril grazed his arm, leaving a line of burning cold.
He closed the distance, driving his fist into the Guardian's torso.
The creature absorbed the blow, its shadow-flesh parting around his hand. Before he could withdraw, the shadows clamped down, trapping him.
"Shit."
More tendrils wrapped around him, pulling him deeper into the Guardian's mass. The cold intensified, seeping into his bones.
[WARNING: VOID ENERGY EXPOSURE]
[ESSENCE BEING DRAINED]
[RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE EXTRACTION]
Sarnav snarled, refusing to panic. He gathered his power, every ounce of C-rank strength, and exploded outward.
The Guardian shrieked as chunks of its form were blasted away. Sarnav tore free, rolling clear, coming up ready.
"That all you've got?"
The creature reformed, shadows coalescing back into its massive shape. It was slower now, damaged, but still dangerous.
They circled each other. Predator and predator.
"Sarnav!" Ishani's voice cut through the chaos. "The heart! We can't break through!"
He glanced over. His team was pinned down, the swarm of creatures too thick to penetrate. The heart pulsed mockingly, spawning more enemies with every beat.
He needed to end this. Now.
"Ishani! Give me light!"
She understood instantly. Her hands came up, golden radiance building.
The Guardian sensed the threat. It surged toward Ishani, shadows reaching.
Sarnav intercepted.
He caught the creature's limbs, holding it in place through sheer strength. The shadows burned against his skin, the cold seeping deeper, but he didn't let go.
"Now!"
Ishani's light exploded.
Not a wave this time. A focused beam, concentrated and devastating, aimed directly at the Guardian's core.
The creature screamed. The sound was horrific, a shriek of pure void energy that made everyone's ears bleed. Its shadow-flesh burned away, layer after layer, until nothing remained but a shriveling core of darkness.
Sarnav crushed it in his fist.
[VOID GUARDIAN ELIMINATED]
[ESSENCE GAINED: +5,000]
[COMBAT SYNCHRONIZATION WITH ISHANI SUPPIAH: EXCELLENT]
The remaining creatures faltered, their coordination broken. Without the Guardian's leadership, they became disorganized, easy prey.
"The heart!" Sarnav pointed. "Destroy it now!"
Team One converged on the pulsing structure. Hafiz's lightning, Ishani's light, Sarnav's fists. They tore into it from all angles.
The heart cracked.
Split.
Shattered.
A wave of released energy swept through the complex. The remaining creatures dissolved instantly, their connection to the nest severed.
Silence fell.
They'd won.
The aftermath was exhausted celebration.
Team Two and Three reported minimal casualties. A few injuries, nothing fatal. The nest was destroyed, the threat eliminated.
Sarnav stood in the ruined atrium, surrounded by dissolving void energy, and felt the tension drain from his shoulders.
"We did it." Nisha appeared at his side, throwing her arms around him. "We actually did it."
He held her close, breathing in her familiar scent. "You did good. The flanking team performed perfectly."
"I had good leadership." She pulled back, searching his face. "You're hurt."
He looked at his arm. The shadow-burn was already fading, his C-rank body healing the damage. "It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. You nearly got absorbed by that thing."
"Nearly doesn't count."
She looked like she wanted to argue. Then she just shook her head and kissed him, hard and relieved.
When she pulled back, Ishani was watching.
The model stood a few meters away, covered in sweat and void dust, her clothes torn in several places. She looked exhausted. She also looked incredible.
"Good fight," Ishani said.
"Good teamwork," Sarnav replied. "That beam at the end was perfectly timed."
"You gave me the opening." Her eyes held his. "I just had to take the shot."
Something crackled between them. Even Nisha felt it.
"We should head back," Nisha said, her voice carefully neutral. "People need medical attention. There's cleanup to organize."
"You go ahead." Sarnav's eyes didn't leave Ishani. "I need to sweep the perimeter. Make sure nothing escaped."
"I'll help," Ishani said.
Nisha's jaw tightened. But she nodded.
"Don't take too long."
She walked away, joining the other teams, leaving Sarnav and Ishani alone in the ruined atrium.
"Perimeter sweep?" Ishani raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You promised me a night. I promised you after the battle." He stepped closer. "It's after the battle."
"Here? Now?" She glanced around at the destroyed complex. "Not exactly romantic."
"I don't need romantic. I need you."
Her breath caught. "Sarnav..."
"Tell me you don't want this. Tell me to wait until we get back. I will."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into a kiss.
It was nothing like their first kiss. That had been exploratory, tentative despite the heat. This was claiming. Desperate. Two people who'd just faced death together and needed to feel alive.
"Not here," she gasped when they broke apart. "There's a back office. Still intact. I saw it when we came through."
"Lead the way."
The office was small, dusty, and perfect.
Ishani barely had time to close the door before Sarnav was on her. He pressed her against the wall, his mouth finding her neck, her jaw, her lips. She responded with equal hunger, her nails raking down his back.
"I've been thinking about this all night," she breathed. "All morning. Through the entire fight."
"Same."
"Every time you killed something, every time you moved, I kept imagining what you'd do to me."
"Want me to show you?"
"God, yes."
He tore her shirt open. Buttons scattered across the floor. Her bra was simple, practical, straining to contain her breasts. He unclasped it with one hand, letting her spill free.
"Fuck," he groaned. "You're perfect."
"Less talking." She grabbed his head, pulling him to her chest. "More touching."
He obliged.
Her breasts were larger than Nisha's, fuller, with dark nipples already hard with arousal. He took one in his mouth, sucking hard, and she cried out.
"Yes! Just like that. Harder."
He bit down, not enough to hurt, just enough to make her gasp. Her hips bucked against him, grinding against the hardness in his pants.
"I need these off," she said, fumbling with his belt. "I need you inside me."
"Patience."
"Fuck patience. I've been patient for days." She freed his cock, wrapping her hand around it. "I want this. Now."
He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her pants were still on, an obstacle. He set her on the dusty desk, yanking them down her legs, taking her underwear with them.
She was wet. Dripping. Her arousal glistened in the dim light.
"Someone's eager," he observed.
"Combat turns me on." She spread her legs wider, letting him look. "Watching you fight, watching you kill for us... I've been soaked for an hour."
"Then let me help with that."
He dropped to his knees.
Her taste hit him immediately. Different from Nisha. Tangier. He licked a stripe up her center, and she moaned, loud and unashamed.
"Oh fuck. Your tongue. That's so good."
He ate her like a man starving. No teasing, no buildup. Just relentless attention to her clit, his fingers sliding inside her, curling to find her spot.
"Sarnav! Yes, right there, don't stop!"
She came fast, her thighs clamping around his head, her hands fisting in his hair. He worked her through it, gentled his pace, then built her back up again.
"Again," she gasped. "Make me come again."
He added a third finger, stretching her, his thumb pressing her clit while his tongue traced her folds. She fell apart, shaking, her cries echoing off the office walls.
"Enough." She pulled him up by his hair. "I need you inside me. Now."
He stood, positioning himself at her entrance. She was soaked, ready, her body trembling with anticipation.
"You sure?"
"If you don't fuck me in the next three seconds, I'm going to scream."
He thrust home.
She screamed anyway.
Not pain. Pleasure. Her head fell back, her mouth open, her whole body arching as he filled her completely.
"Oh god. Oh god, you're so big. I can feel you everywhere."
He didn't give her time to adjust. She didn't want time. He started moving immediately, hard and fast, the desk scraping against the floor with every thrust.
"Yes! Sayang, yes! Harder!"
He grabbed her hips, pulling her into each thrust. The angle was perfect, his cock hitting deep, her clit grinding against his pelvis.
"You feel incredible," he growled. "So tight. So wet."
"All for you. I've been thinking about this cock for days." She pulled him down, biting his ear. "Harder. I can take it."
He gave her harder.
The desk banged against the wall. Ishani's cries grew louder, mixing English and Malay in incoherent babble. Her nails drew blood down his back, and he didn't care. The pain just made him fuck her harder.
"I'm close," she gasped. "Don't stop. Please don't stop."
He reached between them, rubbing her clit in tight circles. She exploded, her pussy clenching around him, her whole body convulsing.
"SARNAV!"
He fucked her through it, his own release building. When she came down, she was shaking, tears leaking from her eyes.
"Your turn," she said, her voice wrecked. "Come inside me. I want to feel it."
He let go.
The orgasm hit him like a freight train. He buried himself deep, pulsing inside her, filling her with everything he had. The pleasure was blinding, amplified by the post-battle adrenaline, by the newness of her body, by everything they'd been building toward.
When it was over, they collapsed together on the desk, breathing hard.
"Holy shit," Ishani whispered.
"Yeah."
"That was..." She laughed weakly. "That was worth waiting for."
"We're not done."
She blinked. "What?"
"You said you wanted a whole night." He was already hardening inside her. "This was just the warm-up."
Her eyes widened. Then she grinned.
"I knew I picked the right man."
They fucked twice more in that office.
The second time, Ishani rode him in a dusty chair, her athletic body rising and falling with tireless energy. The third time, he took her from behind, bent over the desk, her ass in the air while he pounded into her.
She came six times total. He came three. The numbers would have been higher, but eventually even his C-rank stamina had limits.
When they finally separated, they were both covered in sweat and other fluids. The office looked like a disaster zone.
"We should get back," Ishani said, pulling on what remained of her clothes. "People will wonder."
"Let them wonder."
"Nisha will be upset."
"Nisha knew this was happening." He found his shirt, realized it was torn. "She's not happy about it. But she knew."
Ishani was quiet for a moment. "What am I to you? Really?"
"What do you want to be?"
"I don't know." She met his eyes. "I've never been someone's... other woman. I don't know how this works."
"You're not an 'other woman.' You're a woman I want. A woman I just fought beside, fucked senseless, and plan to keep doing both with." He pulled her close. "Whatever this becomes, we figure it out together. You, me, Nisha, whoever else joins us."
"Whoever else?"
"I told you. My path requires bonds. Plural." He kissed her forehead. "You in or not?"
She considered. Then she smiled, slow and satisfied.
"I'm in. But I have conditions."
"Name them."
"I'm not subordinate. Not to Nisha, not to anyone. I'm your equal or I'm nothing."
"Fair."
"And I want time with you. Alone. Not always sharing. Sometimes just us."
"Also fair."
"And..." She blushed slightly. "Eventually, I want to try anal. I've never done it, but I've always wanted to. With someone I trust."
Sarnav smiled. "That can definitely be arranged."
"Good." She kissed him one more time. "Now let's go. Before Nisha sends a search party."
The walk back was quiet.
Ishani's hand found his at some point, their fingers interlacing. It felt natural. Right.
Nisha was waiting at the convoy.
Her eyes took in their disheveled state. The torn clothes. The marks on their skin. Her expression went through several emotions before settling on resigned acceptance.
"Perimeter secure?" she asked, her voice flat.
"All clear."
"Good." She turned away. "We're heading back. Medical team needs to start treating the wounded."
Sarnav caught her arm. "Nisha."
"Not now." She didn't look at him. "Later. We'll talk later."
She walked away, climbing into one of the trucks.
Ishani squeezed his hand. "That could have gone worse."
"It could have gone better."
"Give her time. This is new for all of us." She released his hand, moving toward a different vehicle. "I'll see you back at base. And Sarnav?"
"Yeah?"
"Tonight was amazing. Thank you."
She climbed into the truck, leaving him standing alone.
He looked between the two vehicles. Nisha in one. Ishani in the other. Two women who both had claims on him now.
This was his life. This was his path.
He'd better learn to walk it well.
[COMBAT SUMMARY]
[VOID NEST: DESTROYED]
[VOID GUARDIAN: ELIMINATED]
[ESSENCE GAINED (COMBAT): +8,500]
[CURRENT TOTAL: 40,200 / 100,000 TO NASCENT SOUL]
[INTIMATE ACTIVITIES - ISHANI SUPPIAH]
[FIRST VAGINAL: +5,000]
[MULTIPLE SESSIONS: +12,000]
[COMPATIBILITY BONUS: +1,500]
[TOTAL FROM ISHANI: +18,500]
[CURRENT ESSENCE: 58,700 / 100,000]
[BOND STATUS - NISHA RAMACHANDRAN]
[RELATIONSHIP: SOULBOUND]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: HURT, PROCESSING]
[LOYALTY: ABSOLUTE]
[NEW BOND - ISHANI SUPPIAH]
[RELATIONSHIP: BONDED (NEW)]
[EMOTIONAL STATE: SATISFIED, HOPEFUL]
[COMPATIBILITY: 94%]
[BOND STRENGTH: GROWING]
[NOTE: SUBJECT REQUESTED EQUAL STATUS, PRIVATE TIME, ANAL (FUTURE)]
[HAREM STATUS: 2 / 32]
[NETWORK UNLOCK: 1 MORE WIFE REQUIRED]