For more than half an hour, it was a blur of frantic running, strategic takedowns, and sudden teleportations for the duo.
Group after group, Demons and Hunters, came at them, but they managed to hold them off with the same tried-and-tested strategy: Asher the distraction, Ceti the executioner.
Ceti had great control over the darkness and the earth element, allowing her an elemental advantage in a place like this as well. It was the only thing that made the two feel fortunate for being in this dungeon during this bounty.
But despite killing those who tried to hunt them, they didn't have the luxury of time to loot nor take their spatial bags since carrying extra would only slow them down. Ceti didn't even bother to take their clothes since she was sweating profusely, and she was getting used to fighting more freely.
The sound of each encounter echoed through the caves, the aftermath a grim reflection of the duo's desperate struggle to survive.
In the heat of these encounters, Ceti suffered minor injuries, and to Asher's surprise, her stamina wasn't going down at all. She was literally like a machine, keeping up the same or more vigor and speed without slowing down even a fraction.
He felt this must be some kind of special ability of hers, and indeed Ceti revealed to him that she had some kind of special adaptation ability that allowed her to become harder to injure the more she got hurt.
This was definitely an ability anyone would dream of having or so Asher thought.
They also kept using whatever teleportation gates they could find to throw off the ones trying to hunt them down, especially when too many small red circles on their map were trying to converge on them.
But with every teleportation gate they used, their shard reserves dwindled rapidly. And they could only teleport to places they had been to before. It was a risk, but a necessary one. The time was ticking away with no mercy.
As the countdown to the Cavern Collapse neared its end, with only two minutes remaining, Asher felt it was time as they came upon another teleportation gate, "I remember a spot. We have to get there to be safe from the collapse," Asher made sure to observe his surroundings all this time and keep an eye out for any shelter since he didn't know when the Cavern Collapse might happen again.
Ceti glanced at him, her eyes questioning as she asked while wiping off the trickle of sweat that ran down her temples, "Are you sure?" she asked, her tone laced with both hope and relief.
Asher gave her a firm nod, already moving towards the nearest teleportation gate, "Trust me, it's our best bet," he responded, urging her to follow him. The teleportation consumed another 2000 from their shards, but it was a necessary sacrifice.
Moments later, they arrived at a previous location, their bodies taking rapid breaths as Asher's eyes quickly searched ahead.
But their eyes narrowed as they saw a fast-approaching red circle on the map in their minds.
Ceti's breath hitched, and Asher's heart rate kicked up a notch. Yet again someone was on their tail, coincidentally or not.
"Where is it? They are right on us!" Ceti asked frantically, her wide eyes searching their immediate surroundings.
"Right ahead," Asher replied tersely, his gaze fixed on a particular spot on the cavern wall, just a few yards away. It was a small, narrow crevice barely noticeable amidst the jagged rocks and shadows.
Ceti glanced back once more, her gaze catching sight of the shadows of the rapidly closing figures, "They're strong," she warned, her tone laced with an uncharacteristic edge of anxiety.
Without another word, Asher dashed towards the wall, reaching out to grab onto a sturdy-looking rock protrusion.
With a powerful leap, he hoisted himself upwards and into the tight confines of the crevice.
"Come on!" he shouted down at Ceti, extending a hand to her. Ceti, without a moment's hesitation, sprinted to the wall and took Asher's offered hand. With a grunt of effort, Asher pulled her up and into the narrow hideout.
As she tried to squeeze herself into the crevice, Ceti quickly realized the space was barely enough for two people. She struggled to find a comfortable position, but there simply wasn't enough room.
Having no choice she finally pressed her body firmly against Asher's to fit herself into the hiding spot. It was an uncomfortable position, awkward and too intimate, but there wasn't time to be embarrassed. Right now, her mind was filled with the thoughts of surviving the Cavern Collapse and hoping the people behind them won't get to them.
If they see them, they will be dead.
Upon noticing Ceti's worrisome expression, Asher couldn't help but let a smirk adorn his lips.
"Don't worry about them," he assured her, a glint of confidence in his eyes, "They're as good as dead."
With a snap of his fingers, the cavern shuddered and groaned, signaling the beginning of the Cavern Collapse.
Massive rocks began falling from the cavern ceiling, crashing onto the ground with deafening thuds. The entire cavern was shaking, making it difficult to hold onto the crevice's rough and rocky edges.
In the chaos, Ceti's foot slipped from its precarious hold and started to swing out of the crevice, threatening to make her entire body slip down.
Her breath hitched in her throat, the sudden motion sending a spike of adrenaline through her.
Before she could even try to get a grip, Asher's hand shot out, quickly grabbing her muscular yet smooth thigh. His fingers dug into her soft yet firm flesh as he hauled her back into the crevice.
Ceti released the breath she'd been holding, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. The relief washing over her was cemented by the gruesome sound of crushing flesh echoed throughout the cavern, marking the death of those who were behind them.
Taking a deep breath, Ceti attempted to regain her composure and had her eyes flutter upon noticing her leg was still help up by Asher's firm grip, "Y-You can let go of my leg now...Thank you..."
But right as he did, she noticed the awkward position she found herself in. Her body was squeezing onto his, her chest pressing intimately against his.
She could feel the defined contours of his muscular chest and the firmness of his abs. His close proximity was hard to ignore, his hot breath fanning against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
She had never expected to find herself in such a compromising position, especially with him. She couldn't even say anything since there was no choice but to stay like this.
As the rocks kept falling, she knew this Cavern Collapse would last ten minutes but in a situation like this, every second felt too long.
"Hn~" Suddenly she gasped softly, feeling startled upon feeling something rigid and warm pressing against her nether regions, making her gasp softly, feeling startled.
A jolt of electricity coursed through her, the unexpected contact making her heart pound in her chest. She could barely move in the confined space, let alone look down to identify the source of the intrusion.
"Y-Your Highness…," she began, her voice a low whisper against his ear due to their close proximity, "Are you...are you hiding a weapon down there?"
The confusion was evident in her voice, though she was sure he didn't have any other weapon with him. The steel of a blade can't be this warm, and why was it slowly rising up, making her feel even more weird.
Asher looked down at Ceti, his lips curling into a mischievous grin. He chuckled, his chest vibrating against her soft chest, "Even I am not that smart to stash a weapon in my crotch," he teased.
Ceti's face flushed a deep shade of crimson that extended down her neck.
She quickly realized what had been poking her, and she gasped, her wide eyes reflecting the faint glow of the cavern.
Her head was angled awkwardly to the side due to the cramped space, preventing her from seeing that it was not his thigh pressing against her lower body, but his crotch!
Her fingers curled reflexively against his chest, the rough fabric of his shirt scratching against her fingertips, "Your Highness..." she warned, her voice taking on an uncharacteristically high pitch, "You can't take advantage of the situation. Please...lower that 'thing' down…" She felt disappointed for thinking he wasn't that bad earlier.
"Han~..." Her words were punctuated by an involuntary moan as his 'thing' pressed even harder against her soft lower body. His muscles contracted beneath her fingers, and she could feel the heat radiating from him, setting her skin ablaze, "Your Highness!"
With a soft sigh, he shrugged helplessly, "I can't help it," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "It's your fault for making my little dragon angry."
"Little Dragon?" Ceti thought, her disbelief quickly turning into anger. The audacity of him to name it and then blame her for his condition was ridiculous. Does he take her for a fool?
But she had no idea that Asher was telling the truth. Even without him doing anything, his hungry little dragon was rising its head upon seeing the delicious prey hovering right above it.
Since she only had her dark red panties had become damp with her sweat, he could feel the soft texture of her soft labia that was melting onto his warm cock.
This feeling coupled with the feeling of her soft ample breasts that were overflowing against his chest, it only stirred the thirst of his little dragon even more.
Rolling her eyes, Ceti huffed in annoyance and attempted to shift her body upwards, hoping to escape the discomposing pressure.
But the effect was the opposite. Her movements only caused his 'thing' to rub against her in an even more intimate manner.
"Heun!~" She gasped, her eyes fluttering closed as an unfamiliar warmth began to pool in her lower belly. It was like a wildfire slowly consuming her from the inside, making her squirm.
"You should stop moving before you make it worse and blame me again," Asher said as he watched her struggle with an amused glint in his eyes.
However, her actions were also causing him some frustration as she was making it quite hard for him to control his demonic sword.
This time Ceti believed him since the persistent warmth spreading between her legs only intensified with every movement, and an unfamiliar wetness followed suit. The realization made her cheeks flame even more as she immediately stopped moving.
"And before you get pissed at me for poking you," Asher started, his voice a husky whisper in the loud echoing cavern, "you should know you're poking me too. It's not exactly comfortable, and honestly it's getting painful."
Ceti let out a confused huff, "W-What are you talking about? I-I am not poking you with anything," she retorted defensively. Was he trying to shift the blame onto her?
However, she couldn't help but remember some of the gossip she had overheard in the women's quarters about the peculiar pains men could experience if their 'thing' stands up for too long. Could Asher be...?
His chuckle pulled her back from her thoughts, "You're poking my chest, Ceti, with both of your...Thanks to Kookus, I know someone considers me a pervert, but I never thought you were one too…" He let his voice trail off, leaving her to understand his meaning. But he couldn't help but enjoy how hard those twin peaks were.
Since she was sweating, the dark red fabric around her breasts got damp and thin, letting him feel it even more.
She blinked in disbelief, momentarily lost while cursing Kookus for having such a big mouth. She could get punished if people knew she considered the royal consort a pervert and was aggrieved that he was calling her a pervert now.
But when her thoughts finally caught up, and she understood what he was talking about, her entire body froze. She was... she was...!
"It's not my fault!" she exclaimed, her voice ringing in the enclosed space, "I... I... I don't know what's happening. I..I am not the one doing it..." Ceti stuttered, embarrassment and confusion coiling tightly in her belly.
Was she really a pervert after accusing him of being one after doing the same thing? Did she misunderstand his intentions again? Was it out of his control too?
She was a seasoned warrior, trained to control her body and mind under extreme pressure. But this, this situation was entirely out of her control, out of her understanding.
The close confines of their hideout left them breathless, the cool stone barely a relief against their heated bodies.
She could even smell the strong scent coming off his body, and it was toying with her senses in a way she didn't want.
"Relax, Ceti," Asher said, his voice a soothing whisper against her ear, causing a shiver to ripple down her spine, "It's natural. I think I know what's happening to us."
Ceti blinked her long lashes, the tension slightly lifting from her body, "Y-You do?" Her voice was hopeful and filled with confusion, desperate for any kind of explanation.
