Chapter 29.3: Marvelous Mega Moo

Scott leaned back against the headboard of his bed at the Screaming Onion. It had taken a few hours of constant rest, a hot bath, and a decent dinner to soothe his headache. The blood had stopped pouring from his nose after a few minutes, but his headache had persisted for quite some time.

“Is it the magic causing this?” he asked once again. There was no one else in the room at the moment to answer, but he felt the need to ask anyway. Sonja had gone to take a shower of her own, and he was not certain that she would have the answer to that question anyway.

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. There was one possibility that had come to him during his recuperation. It might not be the use of magic that was causing the problem; it might be the type of magic. He had gotten headaches when he overused Jolt!, but after recent upgrades and spirit stat increases that spell could be casted continuously for hours on end before he had the same problem.

Shadow Flare, however, was a much stronger spell. If he were to cast it a few times in quick succession he would feel exhausted. Could it be that there was some sort of continual damage that was being caused by the overuse of higher grade spells? It was an important thing to consider as the possibility that even using mana drawn from the world might not protect him completely from the rigors of using his own magical abilities. Was he damaging his body without even knowing it?

Scott sighed loudly then reached over to his only relief, a cloth rag that currently sat soaking in a bowl of hot water. He wrung the cloth out lightly in the bowl then gently placed it over his closed eyes. Steam wafted upward from it as his headache was alleviated slightly.

Several minutes passed before he heard the door open. He took the cloth from over his eyes and glanced over to see who had penetrated his lair. He was not surprised to see who it was; though even in his current condition he could not help but appreciate her return.

Sonja, wrapped in nothing but a towel, and holding only her dirtied clothes, nodded to him as she walked into the room. “Are you feeling better?”

“A little, but I think I might need to lay off the spells and constant transformations for a while.” said Scott.

Sonja casually removed her towel then used it to wrap her hair. Now that she was in their room, there was no need to pretend that she cared about roving eyes. “Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, master?” she asked softly, a slightly hopeful tremor in her voice.

He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. I did this to myself.”

She gracefully walked over to the bed then slipped closer to him. Sonja propped her head up using her arm and looked at him in a strangely gentle manner. “There’s nothing you can ask of me that I would not do.”

Scott blinked at her then closed his eyes once more. He nodded slightly. “That means a lot to me, thank you.”

He kept his eyes closed even after he felt her slip her arm across his chest and the softness of her breasts as she pressed against him. Her head found its way to the little crook between his neck and shoulder not long after.

It was a small thing, what happened next, but the action caused Sonja’s eyes to widen considerably. Scott reached up and gently placed his palm against the side of her face, just before he nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head.

That single sweet moment of acceptance caused her to feel a strange aching sensation throughout her body. Unable to stop herself, she kissed him gently on the shoulder. She was greatly surprised when she felt his head shift and his lips softly press against the top of her head.

“Scott...” said Sonja softly.

“Yes?” he asked her simply.

She felt as though something had changed, as if there was some great difference in their relationship now. Without asking questions, and without any hesitation, she shifted her weight and changed positions. Her lips sought his and they were soon engaged in a tender, surprisingly innocent kiss.

Sonja’s eyes closed half-way then flared opened briefly before they closed once more. He was not resisting her advances like he normally would! She was even more surprised when his arms slipped around her and he held her naked body tightly against him.

“Scott...” she said sweetly, before she kissed him on the nose. Her fingers curled lightly around his shoulders and she held him tightly like a wonderful gift that she was afraid someone would take from her.

Suddenly, the arms holding her tightened their grip. His lips gently found her left ear. He kissed her softly there then whispered. “I was so glad to see you safe.”

Sonja’s expression shifted to one of pure joy, and her clutching fingers tightened their grip slightly. “I felt the same way... I don’t know why, but I don’t like being apart from you for too long anymore.”

After that tender moment passed, another soft whisper made its way into the world. “I’m sorry for being such a self-centered idiot.”

Sonja lifted her head up then looked into his eyes. “What do you mean? You’ve never been anything but kind to me.”

“No, I’ve been treating you badly from the start.” said Scott. He looked into her eyes with an intense gaze. It was obvious that he wanted her to truly understand what he meant.

She tilted her head to the side then asked, “Really, what are you talking about?”

“The first few times, it was right to hold back. I think that’s true... But every time you clung to me and cried because you wanted to be closer to me, I pushed you away.” he said.

“Yes, but you were just doing what you thought was right. You did not wish to take advantage of me.” she said.

“I ended up doing something far worse.” said Scott.

“I don’t... What are you getting at?” asked Sonja.

Scott looked at her, a weary expression on his face. “I’m not sure when I realized it but... by telling you that I refused to be with you while you were enslaved to me, I was not helping you at least not the last few times.”

“I... don’t like to keep repeating myself. Can you please just tell me what you are talking about?” she asked him.

He nodded. “It came to me in a moment of clarity. If you truly want to be intimate with me, then pushing you away is almost like a slap in the face. I was not treating you as someone I... someone who I...” he tried to tell her more, but the words would not come.

She smiled at him. “I think I see now.”

“Do you?” asked Scott before revealing a slight smile of his own.

“Yes.” She kissed him gently on the chin then leaned down to whisper, “You’re someone I... too.”

Scott could not help but laugh a little. Sonja soon joined in and they happily held each other while they allowed a lot of their recent worries and fears to fade to nothing.

“It’s too bad that you have a headache.” she said sweetly.

Scott sighed loudly then said, “This is the part where I’m supposed to say something manly and witty about how I can struggle through the pain, right?”

“Hmm?” she asked him.

“Nothing, just... I feel like I’ve been beaten half to death. Cuddling and kissing is about all I’m good for at the moment.” he said softly.

“Is that so?” she asked, a petulant pout on her lips.

Scott blinked at the strangely, girlish, expression. She was not really prone to pouting; at least he did not believe that she was. Still, he managed to say, “Can you ever forgive me?”

She cocked her head to the side. “What’s in it for me?”

Scott slipped his hands down along her body then slid his fingers through the space between her thighs. He lightly caressed her there in a gentle, yet, casual manner that caused her eyes to light up. “There are certain benefits...”

She laughed softly then kissed him gently on the lips. “In that case, please get well soon...”