The Arcane Emperor

Chapter 18 A Vanquishing Spear

Rainer stared down at the spell formula in front of him. It was supposed to be the simplest spell here. All it did was create a little light orb that brightened up a room. Yet…

"Why is the spell formula like a fucking Rube Goldberg machine!" he yelled out while swiping the book off the table. Before he went over and apologized to his little treasure.

He had read it for hours and had yet to even begin practicing. He didn't know where to start. He simply couldn't comprehend what all those extra runes even did. Not to mention the chant itself was horribly long for such a simple thing. He also couldn't help but wonder if these mages depended far too much on their enchantments rather than spells. He even had a reference book of the [Faraan Runic Language] but it wasn't the same as learning it from a teacher directly or from practice.

At the basis of all Light magic is the very production of light itself. To mold one's mana into the grace of the Holy One and with it wield but a fraction of his judgment. It is within the [Light Orb] we find our own hopes and beliefs and make it a reality standing tall as a glowing light to fight away the ever coming darkness. Beyond the runes and chanting you must draw from within your very soul and lay bare your convictions, your faults, your hopes, and your desires...

"What does this have to do with magic! What does any of this have to do with anything!"

Noticing he was about to pull out his own hair from the frustration he chose to start playing around with [Spatial Manipulation] instead. Though he'd avoid anything related to dimension travel. He wasn't ready to open that can of worms again.

The skill itself gave him some information on what [Spatial Manipulation] entailed as otherwise he hadn't a clue. As he understood it, [Spatial Manipulation] was a combination of gravity and the alteration of the very fabric of the universe. For now, he'd stick to the gravity portion exclusively. Though…

He contemplated deeply while staring down at his [Ring of Transference: Nalmar] and wondered what he could glean from actually using it. But. He had a far greater task in his mind: flying!

He sat cross-legged on the ground, centering himself as best as he could. If he shot straight up and then flipped over all he'd end up with would be broken dreams and a more literal broken head.

Gradually he manipulated the gravity around him and decreased it locally. Creating a gravity locus himself was one thing but manipulating the gravity already existing was far easier, especially within just his own personal self.

Yet soon he reached a problem. He infinitely approached zero but anything beyond that didn't seem possible. With a bit of hesitation, he nudged his feet awkwardly and pushed off the ground. At nearly zero gravity he floated. Slowly he adjusted himself mid air to take a standing form and gradually returned to the ground.

Well that was...disappointing...perhaps I have no choice but to use my own gravity to guide a flight.

A locus of gravity began to form above him after he sat down. There were several problems with this method but he did his best so that the gravity only focused on him and not his surroundings. In the end of expending nearly half his mana he was able to lift only himself several feet off the ground, though he took several books with him. Following his excitement the locus dissipated and he plummeted to the ground.

Yet contrary to anger or pain as he rubbed his ass he seemed to have a moment of revelation. Completely unrelated to flying but rather pertaining towards the [Light Orb] spell.

Rushing over he picked up the book and taking out one of the pages he had Luna make for him he began his work.

Rainer ran down the stairs of the tower with bloodshot eyes filled with anger.

"Gunthar!" he roared out.

He exited the tower and came across Kara and Gunthar who were currently sparring. But ignoring that fact completely he rushed over and shoved the paper and book he was holding in Gunthar's face. Kara herself managed to stop her blade a moment before it cut off Rainer's arm.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Rainer yelled to the Skeleton, who was incapable of showing the utter shock that was within him on his Undead face. Kara herself was about to yell at Rainer for so crazily running in between them but seeing his face she let it go for now.

"Tell ye what Sorcerer?" Gunthar asked confused.

"That all your damned spells were written in code!"

Gunthar paused for a moment before taking the book and page from Rainer. He himself as a paladin knew many tier 1 spells and a few tier 2 ones though he wasn't what you'd call a mage. Of course, he could no longer cast light spells in his current form.

[Light Orb] was a spell he knew well as it was used in training for all Paladins.

Minutes passed as Gunthar stared at the [Light Orb] formula in the book and the much smaller one Rainer had created.

"They aren't written in code…"

"What?!"

"They aren't written in code Sorcerer. I don't even understand what you wrote on this other page here."

"It's the true [Light Orb] spell."

"This is the true [Light Orb] spell?" Gunthar questioned.

"Yes…" Rainer now lost much of his anger and was instead confused. Did that ridiculous cumbersome formula actually make sense to Gunthar?

"Cast it," Gunthar said before backing up a few paces. Even though the spell wouldn't hurt him it was unpleasant.

In but a moment the [Light Orb] spell appeared in Rainer's hand. Far faster than his [Arcane Bolt] and lacking the chant it originally had as well.

Opening his skeletal mouth a strange laugh came out before he spoke once more.

"Truly impressive Sorcerer. I wondered when you'd come down to seek aid but to think you surpassed the magic of us within but a day. No wonder you were chosen by the Holy One."

"By the World Tree…" Luna mumbled out with her head sticking out of Kara's blouse. She had been spending most of her time with her as she was needed for translation. Kara herself hadn't a clue what was going on. But like with many of Rainer's oddities she just pretended it was normal.

Rainer just stared at Gunthar for a moment before he walked back into the tower.

"Don't bother me for the next couple days…" he said while playing around with the [Light Orb] in his hand. As he climbed the stairs he finally received the message he had been expecting having already begun practicing for it ever since he redid this spell's formula.

[Skill Gained: Light Manipulation lvl 1/10]

Different from fire, so long as he closed his eyes at the right time there was little risk with trying to gain [Light Manipulation].

Back in the library, he went towards the entire tome devoted to the tier 2 spell [Spear of Holy Light]. [Light Manipulation] could fill in the holes of his runic knowledge. But sooner or later he decided he'd need to find a teacher. He had no interest in joining a guild so that presented a problem but he doubted it would be impossible. There may even be one of the undead here who was once a mage of Nalmar. He also questioned that a guild's restrictions on knowledge were as simple as if you leave no one else will hire you. Magical contracts and the like were undoubtedly involved, especially after his little foray with mind magic.

Which was another problem when it came to information about Kara. The mind magic was certainly not powerful enough to control anyone, but it was likely designed to take more information than what was offered. It's quite possible there were already those who knew of Kara's dual nature. Then again Kara hid her half-demon nature from both him and Luna quite well.

He brushed away such an unhelpful train of thought. He simply needed to become stronger than anyone after her. Easy, right? What were mages who lived hundreds of years under this system or ancient demons compared to him who's been here for almost two weeks?

He dived back into the [Spear of Holy Light] spell, his only comfort that his current opponent was just a single [Arch-Lich]...

[Spell Gained: Spear of Holy Light lvl 1/10]

Looking down at the [Spear of Holy Light] within his hand Rainer dissipated it before he went back to trying to mix arcane energy with the [Light Orb]. Obtaining [Arcane-Light Manipulation] likely depended on his familiarity with such spells. Similar to how he gained [Arcane-Fire Manipulation] after he maxed out his second Arcane-Fire spell. He managed to learn another tier 1 light spell quite easily. As opposed to an omnidirectional light orb this was instead a flashlight-like beam of light. At higher tiers this spell evolved to being quite the powerhouse though other than [Spear of Holy Light] he hadn't tried to learn any more above the tier 1 level. The spear was straightforward enough. It depended far more on its cumbersome chant than the other magic. Which after finally getting to work was easy enough to replace with his own runes for mana input and output.

[Spellbook: Light]

[Tier One: Light Orb lvl 1/10, Beam of Light lvl 1/10]

[Tier Two: Spear of Holy Light lvl 1/10]

He guessed it was already late at night as he began trying to mix Arcane energy into the [Light Orb]. He kept the [Light Orb] at nearly 10 feet away from him surrounded by upturned desks. He didn't know what Arcane and Light would produce together. He assumed it would just be a stronger light. Either way, he didn't intend to find out first hand.

Suddenly the [Light Orb] surged in brightness but as Rainer predicted like Arcane-Fire it only made it more not too different. Though in the end light could still very well blind someone at high enough concentration.

[Spell Gained: Arcane-Light Orb lvl 1/10]

Though he nearly lit one of the desks on fire he gained [Beam of Arcane-Light] soon after; both were tier 1 spells.

After this long day, he found himself struggling to stay awake. A nice phenomenon he noticed with [Spatial Manipulation] was that increasing or decreasing the already existing gravity around him took very little thought, just mana. Meaning he could in this rare instance use [Sleep Learning] on his tier one Arcane-Light spells while increasing the gravity all around him. And so Rainer without even needing to make himself comfortable fell asleep on the spot.

Kara herself was quite exhausted from training, finding Gunthar's take on Aura to be completely different from what she had learned in the past. Remembering Rainer's message not to bother him she figured he wouldn't actually mind if she did but decided to let him focus entirely on his magic. She herself after getting Luna to properly make her shirt wished to spend more time with him though she was a bit hesitant. She had been caught up in the moment but now she grew a little heated realizing how bold she was in visiting him afterward as well.

Luna took her normal place in his pocket, slipping in while he was already sleeping after using her fire as usual for some housekeeping.

As he awoke Rainer saw a tray of food and water next to him and while he engorged his starving and thirsty self he looked over the messages.

[Spatial Manipulation has reached level 2]

[Arcane-Light Orb has reached level 10]

[Reached the maximum proficiency of a Tier 1 spell: Rewarding 1 skill point.]

[Beam of Arcane-Light has reached level 10]

[Reached the maximum proficiency of a Tier 1 spell: Rewarding 1 skill point.]

[Skill gained: Arcane-Light Manipulation lvl 1/10]

He grinned. The [Spear of Holy-Light] already gave off a powerful feeling and dealt extra damage to Undead. Combined with Arcane and his own massive bonuses to Arcane Damage dealing with another [Lich] like before wouldn't be a challenge so long as he had a few extra seconds to properly charge this spell. Its cast time was quite long, relatively speaking.

[Spear of Holy Light: Fires a concentrated spear of Light magic. Dealing 100% extra damage to Undead and 25% extra damage to Demons.]

The Demon part is especially useful…

Rainer thought, of course, referring to those after Kara rather than her herself.

Though seeing this spell he grew about stunned at how Nalmar fell in the first place. The Mana-Well must truly enhance necromancy to allow undead to overwhelm such a powerful advantage against them. Or perhaps as he believed their mages focused too much on enchantment and weren't all that capable otherwise. In the end, numbers can overpower most. Kara herself surrounded by enough even completely normal classless Undead would eventually have to either flee or die.

He stood up and summoned the spear with the use of [Arcane-Light Manipulation]. Yet contrary to all his expectations the spell fluxed out of control sending him flying back against the wall, his hands even through his resistances slightly burnt.

"Fucking hell…"

Rainer mumbled to himself. He's quite sure if he hadn't started to cancel the spell on his own the explosion would have been far worse. Gunthar had mentioned as a Paladin he had a decent experience in spell casting.

Perhaps I should stow away the gung ho attitude I've had on magic so far?

He couldn't help but question. He'd been spoiled by his manipulation abilities. This had been the first time he was trying to alter a tier 2 spell. He himself already thought it'd be a stupid idea to combine fire with his [Arcane Blade] yet he had still tried something similar on the spear with little thought.

It was a powerful spell, costing 6 mana and taking an equal amount of seconds to cast.

Deciding to take a break Rainer headed out towards the courtyard where Kara and Gunthar seemed to be training again. He'd spent a decent amount of time away from anyone and he missed having his little Fairy always by his side. Even when she was sleeping her presence was welcome. Besides, he'd like to find the time to continue what he started with Kara…

Kara currently sat in a meditative pose. Rainer could see a red Aura around her, different from the white when she's usually in her Wolfkin form. He determined it was because she was no longer hiding her Demon half. He paused for a moment, recalling that learning a detection skill went beyond feeling and instead required an initial effort to sense the energy. He stared intently at her, almost trying to reach out and touch the aura within his mind.

And then with the assistance of his class, it took only a minute for it to click and soon he could feel the entirety of her Aura, not just the part she was using.

[Skill Gained: Aura Detection lvl 1/10]

From there he looked over at Gunthar who looked into the distance perhaps lost in thought and truly began to understand how powerful this former paladin was. He had guessed becoming undead had lowered his level and now he started to believe it more. His aura amount eclipsed Kara's completely. It couldn't be explained with a simple she's already used some of hers as he could get a general sense of its capacity.

Seeing Kara still in her meditative pose and sensing Luna's mana somewhere within her clothes he went over to discuss the [Spear of Holy Light] with Gunthar hoping it was a spell he knew.

"Gunthar."

Gunthar's head spun around giving Rainer quite the fright.

"God damn it Gunthar, do you always have to do that?" Rainer asked as the rest of Gunthar's body followed his head.

"There are few things you can do for entertainment in a body such as mine."

Rainer felt bad for a moment before Gunthar's next line.

"Of course If I had my body and if I had such a lady, Demon or not, I certainly would not lock myself within a room alone. Do you perhaps have confusion? Do not fear, Nalmar did not judge such a thing."

Rainer simply took out the tome on the spear as well as his own formula for its reduction.

"Did you know this spell?"

"You even altered such a spell? Then that means you can use it?" Gunthar asked excitedly not bothered at all at Rainer ignoring him once more.

Rainer thought it best just to show the spell to him. He walked a few meters away before he cast [Spear of Holy Light]. With the flick of his hand, he launched the spear towards the wall where it dissipated in a minor explosion. The wall itself had only a small crack; it was designed against attacks caused by penetration.

"To think I'd watch years of my life shown in an instant...Mages of talent are truly different beasts. So then what is the issue, Sorcerer?"

Rainer cast [Light Orb] and [Arcane-Light Orb] back to back to demonstrate his point.

Rainer explained what he was trying to do with the spear to Gunthar while Kara who had been awoken by the spear spoke to Luna.

"What are they discussing?" Kara asked, curious about Rainer's progress in magic. Though in reality, it was just a curiosity that most people experience when those around them speak in another language. No matter how illogical, you always have the thought that they may be talking about you.

"Rainer is just talking about how he almost blew himself up trying to combine the Arcane thingy with the pointy thingy," Luna responded while rubbing her eyes, a bit annoyed at having just been woken up by the spell, though she was more interested in talking to Rainer who she hadn't been around lately.

"What the hell is he doing…" Kara couldn't help but ask herself. She had noticed his difficulties when he hadn't been able to sleep. And once more when he locked himself away to learn magic. And now he had taken such a great risk without even thinking to consult Gunthar first.

Kara recalled something her mother had told her about her father before she, taking a reluctant Luna, headed towards the tower.

"Eh...but Luna wants to go play with Rainer."

"You can play later."

"But Luna wants to play now…"

"He might be more willing to play if you help me with this," Kara responded, knowing she needed the Fairy's help.

"Fine...Luna will help."

Both walked towards the tower while Gunthar and Rainer sat down. Rainer had explained everything he was trying to do with the spell to Gunthar. He even talked about his manipulation skills. Frankly put, while he wasn't willing to share everything, there was no reason not to trust Gunthar. Rather even if there was it was a waste of time not to and time was something he didn't have in spades.

"Your approach to magic...it's not wrong. In fact, very likely your skill surpass those of Nalmar mages who focused on enchantment more than anything along with creating spells to be used by our Paladins. But there is more to magic and any craft than simply doing it the best or right way."

"You mean the grace of the Holy One?" Rainer asked a bit annoyed.

Gunthar simply laughed it off and continued.

"Yes, I imagine you found such things within the tome as silly or unrelated. But to a new Paladin who lacked even basic rune knowledge, such concepts were important, even if later on we realized that Light Magic itself had nothing to do with our Holy One."

"Take for instance a young boy who finds his village beset by bandits. All his life he desired to be a true hero and seeing these criminals about to take what he holds dear he takes up his father's old sword. There is no fear in his eyes nor unease in his heart. He believes with all his will that the Holy One shall guide his hand to strike down his enemies. And so he charges a single lone bandit and strikes with all the fury his body can muster!"

"And he somehow wins and…."

"No! Of course, he doesn't win. His head goes flying in an instant. You can't just skip sword training with the power of the human heart!" Gunthar responded back immediately.

Gunthar completely ignored Rainer's contemptuous stare and went on.

"But what if that boy had achieved the beginnings of the sword skill? What if that bandit had a higher level skill yet never faced anyone who could fight back? Then we have a different case of someone fully capable of using the training within them, with a purpose. And someone who lacks such a will and falters at a key moment.

"That! That is the purpose of the boy's sword and that is the purpose of all those extras you dismiss. Training is one thing but there are instances when your purpose, your desires, your goals, can actualize your training with your experience and allow you to ascend just high enough to reach your goal. It took a Paladin many years to learn the [Spear of Holy Light]. Yet even afterward it wasn't as if the Paladin was the same as a mage. He focused all his will, all his training, on that single spell. He truly believed in his purpose in the Holy One's guiding hand. To become an unstoppable spear to smite the enemies of his city and his Holy One."

"I can see you are unconvinced; tell me, that blade magic of yours, how did you learn it?" Gunthar gave a knowing look that seemed to transcend the fact he was but a Skeleton. Gunthar himself felt that [Arcane Blade] of Rainer's surpassed reason. It cut through a gate that even Gunthar with his enchanted sword would be unable to do. And that was with Gunthar taking into consideration the strength of his Aura at his prime as a Paladin.

Rainer immediately recalled the circumstance. Of a tortured and battered Fairy crying for help and a boarded up doorway standing in his way.

Then what was his purpose now? Rather what was Rainer's goal entirely. His thoughts had been filled with the numerous enemies he'll have to face in the future. Whether they be the Queen of Fae or the [Arch-Lich]. But what did he desire? To go live a peaceful life with Kara and Luna? No. To usurp the guilds and bring about a study of true magic? No. He simply wished to study magic and to soar above the normalcy he struggled with in the past. To do that he needed to remove every obstacle in his path. An unstoppable force. A blade that cut through the obstacles in his way. A spear that bent to no wall or shield.

Rainer stood up. He understood the problem with the spear. He had been trying to create a spear of Arcane-Light but he never gave a direction to the energy, never gave it a purpose. Of course, it would just explode.

"Let us fix that spear throw of yours a bit as well...it was...embarrassing..." Gunthar said while standing up as well.

The sun had already set through the overcast clouds, only Rainer's armed [Arcane Bolt]s and Gunther's pale blue eyes giving light. Both Gunthar and Rainer, who were in good spirits, walked back to the tower.

Rainer had to the amazement of Gunthar learned both the first level of [Spear Throwing] and [General Throwing Mastery]. Though he didn't explain it, the increase in skill was clearly visible.

"So Teacher, what have you been teaching Kara exactly, I'd like to sit in next time," Rainer respectfully called out to Gunthar after his success with creating the [Spear of Holy Arcane-Light].

A Tier 3 spell…

Rainer thought to himself, still in amazement. But before Gunthar answered his query Luna came flying out towards them.

"Rainer, Kara says to come to the balcony, she has a surprise. Luna helped a lot so thank Luna."

Rainer looked straight up and noticed a faint candlelight coming from the balcony where he had launched magic from before.

A date…

"I owe you one Luna."

He spoke to Luna a bit surprised and happy but soon looking up at the overcast clouds became irritated.

"Gunthar stand back," Rainer called out.

Light and Arcane began forming around Rainer's hand before he soon held a spear angled straight towards the sky. It was a mix of golden white surrounded by a violet hue. Rainer poured all of his current Arcane Power into the spear before launching it straight into the sky. The spear was a spell designed for true long distance attacks, hence its longer cast time. An [Arcane Bolt] would break apart long before reaching the clouds, though they hung lower than most.

Just as the spear touched the clouds Rainer willed the Arcane energy within to explode. With a flash of light, the wind produced from the shockwave cleared out a large swath of the clouds. Before they'd get a chance to reform Rainer headed up the stairs after Luna helped him clean up with her fire.

Entering the floor Rainer walked over and saw the date Kara had set up. There was a cloth on the ground and candles covered the balcony. Many were magical constructs created by Luna for just such a purpose. In a white dress that had an open back all the way to her tail sat Kara looking at the opening with the clouds. Wine and various fruits were laid out on the cloth, likely from the nicer part of the storage in this tower. He always hated that Valentine's day was often a one-sided affair so he appreciated Kara's gesture more than most.

Rainer sat down next to Kara and put his arm around her.

"I had thought to surprise you, perhaps take your mind off doing such dangerous things, though it seems you were the one with the surprise," she mused still looking up at the stars.

"We both created a great view," he replied back before he managed to stop himself. Though as before she found his line endearing and a bit funny.

He picked up the jug of wine and poured them both a glass before proposing a toast.

"Well then, to having a date even when surrounded by thousands of undead."

"I can just imagine how jealous the rest of the girls at the tribe would be at such a thing."

"It's about how you spin it. Even as death approached he opened up the sky itself to let her have her moment in the starlight."

"As if we are runaway Gods in a tale. Pursued by their families and destiny itself trying to keep them apart," she replied back a bit wistfully.

Both drank from their glasses though he looked over in surprise at Kara emptying her glass in a single go.

"Another," she said placing her glass in front of him.

He obliged as they both continued to look out towards the sky and enjoy each other's company.

As they finished their wine and the night seemed to come to a close she asked him a question that had been on her mind for some time now.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked him a bit hesitantly. Gaining courage from perhaps one of the oldest sources of it.

He thought to answer her with whichever fort Gunthar thought best but given the mood soon realized the true purpose of the question. Where were they? His first thought was that they only knew each other for about two weeks. But soon he put away such an Earth-like thought. What did time matter here? They had been fighting alongside each other. Kara even risked him hating her forever along with her own life to protect him. Rainer had killed his first person in part for her.

He could lie and give a fake answer so that she'd sleep with him but he had no such desire, so he gave it real thought. A thought in general about what he would do after he left here. First, he'd go grab the spell formulas from those damned Goblins and Orcs and maybe he'd clean out the mine while he's there with his new addition of Arcane Power. Assuming there wasn't anyone out there still waiting for them near the Dungeon. But then what? Where exactly could he go establish himself, to learn magic and beyond? And what about Kara?

"A school…" Rainer whispered to himself.

Yes, it was perfect. He had Gunthar who not only seemed to love to teach but desperately desired a purpose with his new form. A master of Aura and war magic. There were also likely mages and those of lesser talent all over the surrounding lands taken advantage of by Mage Guilds. They'd work perfectly as Paladins. It was a question of location but that could be solved. The world was wide and escaping the reach of those after them had to be possible. He could then attract rogue mages and learn from them himself. And with the Mana-Well any forces he gained would be well armed so long as he found someone capable of enchanting or learned it himself. Plenty of resources had to be available in the city of Nalmar for that goal. There was also the possibility of using the Mana-Well the same as it was now. Hell, he already had a Half-Demon by his side, did it matter if he practiced necromancy too?

"A school," he said a bit louder.

"A school?" Kara asked. She was familiar with the word but only in it pertaining to the military school at the Demon capital.

"We'll make a school." He carefully added the we.

"Ah, I had meant more…"

"Pertaining to us?" Rainer finished her sentence.

"That is my goal," he said taking her hand.

"And I'd like you to join me," Rainer said as he imagined possible futures but Kara had always ended up in those futures. He realized he fell too fast and they might not be as compatible as he believed. That her feelings may stem from his acceptance of her and him not treating her as a breeding tool. That his feelings may come from the thrill of battle with her saving him and her acceptance of his strangeness and secrets. But for now, he'd accept a future with her and was willing to see it through. Every time they fought together, trained together, he was brought closer to her.

"Then remember that it is we not you before you do something as stupid as killing yourself with a spell."

He had thought her joking for a moment before he noticed the sad look in her eyes. He only nodded solemnly returning her gaze.

She looked back into his eyes for a moment and accepted his answer before their lips joined under the starlight created by his own efforts. He paused for a moment after seeing a message pop up and after a few insults towards the World Tree for thinking so little of him he continued with a renewed vigor.

[Skill Gained: Kissing Technique Lvl 1/10]

Kara herself noticed a major change and figuring it was Rainer's strange ability to learn skills couldn't stop herself from laughing even as she had been enjoying the change greatly.

"First the World Tree and now you, I'm so hurt," he jokingly exclaimed and fell back.

While his hand covered his face, she moved over on top of him. Yet surprisingly Rainer flipped her over onto her back with him on top. She could have reacted in time but let him do as he pleased. Even as the clouds began closing it seemed to only focus that bit of starlight on the two of them. The laughing fled as they intertwined.

Had he given her a silly response or one that spoke of marriage and a family Kara would have been hesitant but him declaring that all he wanted was for her to follow him in his goals, to share that future, she could accept.

His hands reached around her as they slowly went up her leg and under her dress. Kara's eyes shot open and her mouth emitted a loud gasp as he found the clothes under her dress to be lacking entirely. In a practiced fashion, Rainer infused but a bit of Arcane into her dress and it came apart instantly, revealing her full form under him.

His two fingers reached down inside her as her moans were muffled by their connected lips. She felt herself tighten uncontrollably around his fingers. She soon lost herself as she escaped from the kiss and let out a strong breath following a moan. She gripped tightly onto him, her fingernails nearly digging in as she drowned in pleasure.

Slowly she gained control of herself and both of them sat up. She reached down and undid his clothing this time, throwing the belt off the side of the balcony. She had worried this moment was coming too fast, that she wasn't ready, yet now she desired it even faster.

Right after she revealed his hard figure she jumped on top of him and inserted it directly, not understanding the pain that was coming. She gasped out, in pain this time, causing some damage with her nails as she held his back.

"Are you alright?!" Rainer asked seeing her in pain.

"It's fine...let's go..."

Hearing her voice he wondered if he should summon Luna or if that crossed some boundaries. She seemed to be completely okay with their relationship but she was difficult to read as she was both overt and hidden in her feelings. And this would be more than just okay with it...

He held onto her not moving.

"Should I call Luna?"

But his question was answered as Kara's Demonic eye started to glow red and her Aura increased. She pushed him down and, already wet from before, moved up and down vigorously. He held on as best he could but seeing her full figure displayed over him he lost himself. Yet as a mage he did have his own tricks and even as he found himself in pleasure releasing inside of her his mana kept him going.

She felt him shudder in pleasure under her, distracting her from the pain she felt and only pushing her further.

He stopped the still-moving Kara, letting other problems fade into the background. Before kissing her and positioning her on all fours away from him. He gripped her tail as she let out a satisfied moan and entered her once more.

She felt the pressure at the base of her tail. His hand wrapped tightly around it. Herself now tightly closing around him. The pain from earlier fading into pleasurable waves. Throughout her body, she felt as if every moment extended in time. Every thrust brought her back into reality before she lost herself once more. Her back arched as the culmination of the waves vibrated in her body nearly collapsing from it as she felt him releasing inside her.

Both laid down exhausted and content.

As the clouds closed only the tiniest gleam of light shown down on the two now resting in each other's arms. Covering her with his overcoat Rainer summoned Luna.

"And another thing…" Luna said while pointing to no one in particular.

"Oh, Rainer summoned Luna," she said while looking at the scene below her and other than giving a little grin as she began healing Kara she didn't mention anything. Much to the red-faced Kara's relief.

Later that night as Kara slept while Rainer lay awake with her in his arms, Luna came in.

"Luna's date help was nice right. Rainer owes Luna."

"That he does," he responded quietly. Though he needed to have a word with the World Tree after the messages he got. Not that he minded the end result and the title made him believe it wasn't a common thing.

[Skill Gained: Dextral Pleasuring Technique lvl 1/10]

[Skill Gained: Copulation Technique lvl 1/10]

[Title Gained: Philanderer]

[Philanderer: Versed in various sexual techniques. 5% Experience Gained. 25% Sexual Pleasure Increase]

[1% Experience Gained]

"Hey Luna, can you do something about, you know, pregnancy?" he mumbled. He had completely ignored it at the time having been so long since he even talked to a woman before coming here let alone slept with one. He shut himself away to practice his magic just as he entered college.

"Why would Rainer be worried about that?"

"Why well...when a man and a woman love each other very much they…" he started to explain, confused as Luna knew right where to heal Kara.

"As much as Luna would laugh at Rainer's explanation Luna will be nice. Luna is asking because mages are infertile. Well, more accurately those with high [Affinity] and aren't a magical race. Even with Rainer's relatively low mana, he's still over the threshold."

He stared at her with a blank face. What did she mean mages were infertile. Was he not related to his grandfather?

"What do you mean..."

"Of course there are special methods around it but unless Rainer used a special and expensive method there's no chance," she replied remembering this lapse of knowledge might be related to Rainer being foreign to this world.

Special method? I'm starting to feel there was a lot grandfather didn't teach me. Not only that but all the runes he taught me allowed me to greatly surpass the magic of Nalmar's mages. Was he really so simple?

"Besides it's low for Demons. Otherwise, there would be more of them than humans with how long they all live."

"Now Luna wants her reward," she said while fluttering over him. He had no interest in children anytime soon, though it seemed it was something he needed to prepare ahead of time for. He gave it no more thought and rewarded Luna.

He reached out a hand and paid extra attention as he fed her mana, lacing it with some Arcane Power. Much to Luna's enjoyment. Kara, groggy, and, witnessing the scene of Luna being fed mana, wasn't sure if she was meant to feel jealous or rather envious that could happen just from mana.

The next few days Rainer spent using [Sleep Learning] on [Spear of Holy Arcane-Light]. As a tier 3 spell, it took all three full nights. In his free time whenever Kara would be training with Gunthar he often watched close by while working on his next spell, some sort of shield. With [Arcane Weaving] he created small hexagonal shapes and strengthened them as best he could. He had yet to receive anything like a spell from any shapes he created but that didn't deter him. He had Kara strike at a few of them but it looked like he needed to use [Sleep Learning] on the skill before it gained any real strength as a single, Auraless swing could destroy them.

He thought of what he could do with [Spatial Manipulation] as well, floating around several ideas of creating a dimensional storage space using a box created from [Arcane Weaving], but he didn't know where to begin.

The days filled with constant training; the nights filled with more entertainment.

Gunthar and Luna spent time discussing whether the hair of the Holy One or a leaf of the World Tree held more value. Before Luna would join a sleeping Kara and Rainer in her usual spot.

Gunthar himself would spend the nights on the lookout for incoming forces. And on the fourth day since their meeting he saw an approaching force.

Standing on the balcony of a certain floor within the tower they all looked out over the approaching Undead. It took Rainer several appraisals to realize why they hadn't been attacked these past few days. The [Lich]s were busy amassing their forces. Whether it was a level 10 [Skeleton Warrior] or a classless citizen, it took Rainer about the same amount of effort to kill them. Which meant an army like this was a massive disadvantage. An untold 10 thousand approached the fort, almost all lacking a class or having a non-combative one. It was clearly designed to tire them out without providing even an iota of experience.

In the distance, he could see a Level 18 [Lich] surrounded by his guards. Only with the [Lich]'s arrogance in not attempting to blend in did he recognize him. All of his guards wore the enchanted, but disabled, Armor of the Nalmar Knighthood while riding Undead horses alongside the [Lich]. The [Lich] himself was in a chariot.

Rainer had earlier questioned why they hadn't done this already but it seemed Nalmar was quite the distance away. They already made such plans the moment they were aware of their existence.

However, Rainer found this attempt as humorous. Such an unleveled mass of undead couldn't even keep up with him let alone him carried by Kara. With Gunthar's guidance, they could just leave to the next fort. They had already replaced their spoiled supplies with ones from here as well as a few books of Rainer's choosing. Gunthar worked quite well as a pack mule in this case. Though Rainer, with a newfound respect for Gunthar as a teacher, graciously offered for Kara to carry it instead which as expected did not happen.

Yet, for now...he'd unleash upon them the full force of the Arcane.

A [Holy Spear of Arcane-Light] formed within his hand. A level 10 one, far more radiant than before. He poured in more and more Arcane Power, simultaneously converting more of it. The golden white and violet light coalesced into a single entity. The fury of energy was too much for an Undead like Gunthar to even bear as he backed away. Kara herself could feel the fur of her tail stand on end as she felt the violent power of the spear within Rainer's hand. With a powerful throw and a thundering roar the spear unleashed from his hand, soaring through the sky at a speed far surpassing any magic he had used before, approaching the [Lich] leading this very army. With a speed that likely rivaled even the strongest mages the [Lich] had already started forming numerous mana shields all layered one after another in front of his skeletal figure the moment Rainer began casting.

With an echoing roar that spread for miles the spear slammed into the first shield, breaking through it and several more nearly instantly. The [Lich] began channeling more and more of his massive mana pool, years of time spent in an instant, into the last shields, yet, one by one a shattering of glass rang. The very pressure of the spell and the need to maintain his shields stopped the [Lich] from moving. He did not even have a moment to call his guards to jump in front of him.

A flash of light drowned him and rumbled the ground itself, permanently putting to rest dozens around the [Lich], himself included. It left nothing but blackened ground and not a trace such a figure ever existed. The horde of undead paused for a moment, their connection to their master severed, before Rainer sensed with [Magic Detection] as a distant master commanded them once more.

They no longer kept a steady march but rumbled forward towards the fort of Sunlight's Keeper.