Velariah knocked on the mansion door as I yawned again.

Seriously, how would I deal with this if we weren’t close to a village?

Elly’s eyes appeared behind the slider and soon, both doors opened. The maid helped Velariah out of her armor and then lent me a hand as I was finishing up with my own. I left my spear against the wall as usual and walked into the dining area, after thanking Elly.

The maid walked upstairs and I asked Velariah how our finances were looking at the moment.

I’d been walking around with the question for a while, I’d like to know where we were at.

“At the moment, we have eleven gold of our own money, I have no doubt Draco will add some to that, as payment for his current weapon. There’s another theoretical twelve gold in the chest we found for the both of us. We should be over halfway to your inherity ritual payment. It depends a bit on how much Coldanus wants for his work on the items you commissioned.”

She paused for a second.

“Then there’s the silk you provided to Allina and Elly. In addition to that, there’s the fertilizer you brought home from the Searing Peak, then there’s the coffee that my father sold to the guild. The coffee isn’t going to be much, but the other things should add up quickly. I will check on a couple of these things and get paid for them while you’re out.”

“That sounds… nice, thank you.”

I thought for a moment. “Do check with Allina, or even the tailor, how much they want to offer for my silk. I’d like to know if it’s worth focusing my efforts on that, even if it doesn’t directly increase my strength. I could make some money on days when there’s nothing good.”

“Sure, no problem. Is it okay if I take another sample for the tailor?”

I yawned again.

“Sure, but do make it quick, I’m not sure how much longer I will be able to stand. You may have to drag me to the bathroom.”

“I’ll make it quick.”

She ran upstairs in a hurry and returned with an empty spool.

I tried reaching for my spinnerets with my back leg but didn’t manage to reach far enough. I was obviously too tired to get this done.

Stupid molting process.

“Seems you’ll have to do it,”’ I said.

“It’s okay, I’ll be gentle.”

With all this itching going on in my behind, I was surprised I even managed to feel her fingers on my sensitive spider parts. She pulled out a string and started spinning it around the spool quickly.

“That’s more than enough.”

I stopped producing silk and opened the doors to the bathroom. The elf followed right behind me.

“I thought you were going to the tailor?” I asked as I took off my shirt and tag.

“Not until I make sure you’re sleeping soundly,” She smiled.

Cute.

“Thanks, Vel,” I smiled, as I let myself drop into the pile of pillows.

I landed face down, with my legs freely on the ground at the sides. Velariah found it necessary to wriggle between my legs and hug my side.

“This is what you consider making sure I’m sleeping soundly?”

“Well, you seemed to sleep soundly with me close, the past few days.” The elf smiled back.

I grinned. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

I kissed her forehead and lay my head down.

“I’ll see you in a few days, Vel. Please take care.”

“I will. Good night, Elania.” She hugged me and I soon felt my consciousness fade, even when I was focused on the elf next to me.

There was no weird vision or anything in my dreams.

I was pretty sure I was lucid, but I couldn’t see anything.

I tried speaking, but no sound was produced.

There was pain, though. I wasn’t sure why. I didn’t even have a body in this dream, how could I feel pain?

I was forced to experience it, with no escape. Fortunately, the pain stopped after a while.

I was pulled out of this strange dream and placed back in my body.

I could once again feel the pillows beneath me and I was pretty sure it was Velariah who was softly snoring next to me. Her arms were around my neck and I could feel her legs around two of mine.

I sighed. At least I was out of that weird dream. The pain wasn’t pleasant, to say the least.

Then again, was it ever?

I hugged the elf back as I thought about our experience in the dungeon.

It felt a bit shallow. I was only allowed to ask one question. The dungeon core was recently awoken, that was some useful information, though. Apparently, they could go into a slumber - I imagine that’s why the core didn’t go out of control. I wondered if that was information the guild would want. Maybe it was only restricted to lower-tier dungeons?

I was in a prime position to find out more about how dungeons worked, though. I imagined I could talk to the dungeon again once it had gathered strength.

I should also come up with better questions, although I do believe what I was told was interesting.

My lifespan resets every time I molt?

Was there a limit to the number of molts I could go through?

Was evolution something in addition to a molt?

“Morning, El. Are you awake?” Velariah whispered.

“I am now. How long was I out this time?”

“Three and a half days, today is the morning of the fourth.”

“Ugh, I’m glad I’m back. My dreams were… messed up, really.” I whispered back as I clapped on the lights. They were very dim, so I assumed it was still early.

“Scary?” She asked.

“Pain,” I answered, with a sigh.

“Awww, poor El. You did get your leg back, by the way.”

“I did?” I glanced over to my back.

Sure enough, my leg had regrown completely. Unlike my other body parts that were covered in the white molt, this leg was clean. Also, the hairs on it were completely gone, leaving an entirely smooth leg.

“I cleaned it already while you were asleep. It seemed your leg molted several times while it was growing back. You gave me quite some work making sure it was stripped of old molt every time. I wasn’t sure if it would hurt to leave it.”

“Thank you, Vel.”

I grabbed her frame with all my arms and kissed her.

I could see her eyes react in shock at first, but she soon relaxed and closed them while returning the kiss.

I broke the kiss and continued the hug.

“I wouldn’t mind more of that,” Velariah commented softly.

I giggled. “Small steps, Vel.”

“Tease.” The elf pouted.

I was about to get up but, once again, Velariah prevented me.

“It’s far too early, still. You think you can sleep some more?”

“Probably,” I replied. “If you’re still tired, I can wait. No worries.”

“Thank you, I’m beaten. Yesterday was tough. I had to arrange a couple of things in my father’s stead, and when I came home, I helped with your leg.”

“It’s fine. Just get some more sleep.” I whispered as I clapped out the lights again.

Velariah was right. I wouldn’t mind more of that either, I think.

I grabbed Velariah with my left legs, complete with molt around them and all, and held her close.

“Hope you don’t mind the molt.” I grinned.

“I’m fine with anything that belongs to you, El.” She said as she kissed my neck.

------------------------------------------

I got some peaceful hours of sleep in, as well. I woke up feeling refreshed, but slightly itchy from my old skin. Velariah stirred as well, and I knew it would be time to get up, no matter how comfortable having her this close was.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” I spoke softly.

“Look who’s talking.”

“Whoops, forgot about the part where I was asleep for three days.” I giggled.

I clapped on the lights and was met by pleasant, dimmed, morning light, it was almost natural.

“So what did you do last night?” I asked, as I released her and stood up.

I forgot I still had molt around my legs and instantly fell down again.

“Nice going there, Elania.” She commented on my- mishap. “Oh, some common stuff like reports from Allina’s squad and several more. Some more info that was brought into the guild, things like that. I have to prepare everything for my father’s return. I was left running errands all day yesterday. It was hell. At least I’ll be done for a while now. Hopefully, he returns before the next round of reports.” She sighed after that.

“Heh, sounds just like him.”

“Because of all the running and reading he does, you mean?” She asked.

“Yup. It’s not hard to see he spends a lot of time working on the simple things here.”

“Yeah, no kidding. We used to have an administrator take care of things a while back, but he turned out to be a fraud. Since then, my father has overseen this village. Part of the reason this village went downhill was because of that administrator.”

“Did your father execute him as well, or what?” I asked curiously.

“Nope, he had him sent to the capital in chains. No idea what actually happened to him.”

“Note to self: don’t mess around with Valtheril,” I commented.

“If you value your life, that is.” She grinned.

“It does seem it prevents him from doing more of the things I’d expect from a general of the royal army,” I said.

“It does. However, he still communicates with the capital frequently, to make sure the army is in a proper state. Besides that, he has been a huge influence on the younger elves in this village - we’ve seen an increase in applications for recruits and adventurers because of his presence. We may have some new soldiers soon.” She paused for a second. “The day he pulled off that Heavenly Flare attack, there were many new applications that rolled in.”

“Yeah, I can see why. People dream of possessing such power. When they see it firsthand, I can imagine people taking the next step and starting their journey.” I replied.

“Yup.” The elf simply said.

“Let’s get you out of that molt, shall we?” She offered.

“I’d be more than happy with your help.”

She worked on the ends of my legs, taking off my socks so to speak. In the meantime, I worked on what I could easily reach. I started with the carapace beneath my human body and was shocked by what was hidden under the molt.

My hair had completely disappeared!

That in itself wouldn’t be so bad, but I knew what was below there and it made me feel exposed!

I took a closer look and saw that the crevice that hid my lady parts was almost invisible to the naked eye, something for which I was extremely thankful. I couldn’t imagine what I would have done otherwise. It was not like there was any clothing that could easily cover that. I’d have to have everything handmade.

“You okay over there, Elania? That gasp sounded serious.” Velariah said, as she walked up to me.

“Oh.” She let out. She had her face dangerously close and I was sure from that distance she could make out what I had gasped at.

“Wait, is that?” She pointed and I felt embarrassment flooding my body.

I nodded with a beet-red face.

“Is it complete with all the…?” She asked again.

I nodded again.

“No fucking way.” She commented. “I never knew.”

“You really have to stare?” I asked.

“Oh, sorry about that. You’re lucky you’re not flashing anyone.”

“I-I guess.” I stuttered.

Why did I lose that hair in the first place?

Velariah went back to working on my legs without raising further questions. I soon found out I’d lost almost all the hair on my body. My legs came out of the molt completely smooth. Velariah even commented on it. It didn’t make them any less sensitive though…

The only hair that remained was short, and only on the bulb behind me. The rest of my carapace came out as a completely smooth black.

“Looking good, El,” Velariah said, as she worked on the parts of my abdomen I couldn’t reach.

“Thanks, I guess?” I said as I worked on freeing up my pedipalps.

It felt really good to remove the old molt. The relief was liberating. It was also impossible to explain…

“You lost quite a bit of hair,” Velariah mentioned.

“I noticed that as well. I wonder what caused it.”

Velariah shrugged. “Not that I mind, though.”

“Is this your leg fetish again?” I asked bluntly. “You must be happy I regrew that one.”

“Oh, but I am. I’m happy for you too. And yes, those legs of yours are hella sexy.”

She ran her hand over one of my overly sensitive legs which caused my entire body to shudder.

“Oh, I love it when you’re this sensitive.” She chuckled.

“Vel!” I let out.

“I’m sorry, I enjoy teasing you too much sometimes.”

“No kidding…”

We finished our work, with her removing the last pieces of old skin from my spinnerets and underside while I cleaned my midsection.

“What a mess this makes,” I commented. “I feel refreshed, though.”

“You better, after sleeping for three and a half days.”

“I can’t help that part, alright. Apparently, that’s part of who I am now.”

“I know, I know. I’m not blaming, it was a joke.” She said.

I sighed. “Sorry, Vel. I guess you could say I’m a bit… sensitive.” I grinned.

“I noticed.” She said as she ran her hand over one of my legs again, causing me to spasm once more.

“Vel!”

“Tee-hee.” She giggled. “I’m having so much fun.”

“I can… feel that…”

“All done here, by the way,” Velariah spoke.

She swept the molting together into a heap with her foot.

“What do we do about my… front?” I asked, awfully self-conscious.

“Well, it’s not like you can see anything.” She replied with a shrug.

“I know, it’s just… you know…”

“The idea, I get it. I’m not sure if there’s much you can do about it, to be honest. Any clothing or armor will likely obstruct your fangs.”

“That’s what I’m struggling with.”

I sighed again. Could I present myself in public like this?

“You’ll be fine,” Velariah assured me. “It’s not even noticeable. Even if it’s noticed, it shows nothing.”

“Thank you, Vel.”

I trusted she was right. I guessed I was worrying over nothing.

Yet another thing I would have to grow used to.

Velariah walked up to me and hugged me. Her head not reaching above my chest would never cease to amuse me.

“Any plans for today?” I asked, feeling energized.

“Don’t you need some rest first? Preferably in the sun.” Velariah suggested.

I sighed. “I probably do… seems I am a bit… squishy, if I don’t allow it to harden.”

“Let’s get some food into you and then take care of that, shall we?”

“Sounds good to me. By the way, what did the tailor say?” I asked.

I imagined today would be a perfect day for silk spinning. There wasn’t much I could do anyway, and it was not like I needed to put extreme effort into producing silk.

“Besides the part where he’d pay good money for your silk? Not much. He seemed impressed by the quality, it wasn’t hard to read in his eyes.”

“How much?” I asked.

“A gold per spool.”

“That much?” I frowned, “And you literally gave him an entire spool the other day?”

“More like half.” She replied.

Fuck. I should have done this earlier. I cursed at myself.

Must be high quality indeed…

“I’d have to really stuff myself, but since I’ve got nothing better to do today, we might as well use me as a living silk factory. I mean, I can’t say no to money, right?”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Velariah confirmed. “Come.” She cheerfully said as she walked over to the paper bags. “I had Elly wash your stuff, let’s get you dressed.”

“You picking my clothes now?” I asked.

“Yes?” She cocked her head.

“Let me guess, you’re going to stare too.”

She grinned. “Most likely.”

Whatever, we’d already kissed. This should be fine, right?

“Fine, enjoy the view,” I said as she attempted to hand me a set of clothes.

“Really?” I asked. “Black bra with a white shirt? Are you crazy?”

Velariah grinned. “Hey, it was worth a shot.”

She walked back to the bags and pulled out a red shirt and white bra instead.

“Thanks,” I said as she handed them to me. “Now get yourself dressed.”

She stared at me.

“You haven’t stripped me enough?” I asked with a smile.

“You can’t strip enough.” She replied with an equally big smile.

“Fine, enjoy,” I said as I took off my only piece of clothing.

I made sure to cover myself quickly with the new piece of underwear, but Velariah’s smile was going to be plastered on her face for a while. Even after fastening the low straps, she was still smiling.

“You really know how to make this awkward, don’t you?” I said, as I put on the red shirt.

“You’re cute like that, Elania. I can’t help it.”

“Glad you enjoyed the little show, but we should get going, there’s money to be made doing nothing!”

“Good point, we should get you that ritual as soon as possible,” Velariah said, as she put on her own shirt and tossed me my tag.

“Any news from Dworag?” I asked, when I was ready to leave the room.

“I heard he finished yesterday, Draco paid the four gold that Coldanus asked for his part of the work. I assume that’s more than enough for the weapons he got from your ore?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. That means we are at twenty-three gold now, or something like that, right?”

“Twenty-six, I collected some outstanding payments here and there. I also divided the money in the chest we found, so that’s out of the way as well.”

“Not bad. I actually wonder how much silk I’ll be able to provide before I run out. I may have to eat another five-course meal, later on, to make up for it.”

“I sure hope you don’t mind eating.” She smiled.

“Not really. Don’t have much to do anyway.”

“You could do me.” Velariah walked up to me and put her hands on my waist, pressing me down.

I allowed myself to be lowered to her height.

When I was lowered enough she planted a kiss on my lips. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment before she broke away. My pedipalps instinctively took hold of her back.

“If you continue like that, I might just do that someday,” I commented.

“Can’t wait,” Velariah called out as she opened the doors.

My heart really was turning into mush when I was alone with the elf. Her smile filled me with happiness and the desire to spend more time with her.

I was quickly falling in love…