The Protagonist System

When the morning session of forging was over, Tsubaki, Hephaestus, Lili, and Hestia were all pretty much numb to my feats of magic. Having to wait for each piece to be made gave my regeneration time to heal half a tier of damage, so each time let me recover just long enough before I would have suffered any significant damage.

I tried to not laugh at how much I had been abusing Tsubaki's amulet gift. She clearly saw my amusement as I handed the last piece of finished armor to Lili, whom looked shell-shocked. She now owned ten pieces of armor. Chest, back, 2 upper arm pieces, 2 lower arm pieces, 2 thigh plates, and 2 for her calves. The total value according to her was just over 1,000,000 valis.

“You're my second Jack Bird drop.” I joked and then laughed as her mouth dropped open. I was sure she was remembering me lamenting about not being able to cook the chicken and joking about making an omelette with the Golden Egg, the first Jack Bird drop. I knelt on a knee and kissed her, which let her recover.

“You're horrible.” Lili whispered as I stood again.

“You say that now.” I responded and then looked at Tsubaki. “How much faster do you think we can travel through the levels if we bring along a support person whose sole expertise is to pick up and carry monster crystals and loot drops?”

Tsubaki sucked in a huge breath and stared at us. “At least twice as fast! Maybe three times because the day's half-over!”

“Lunch first.” Hestia told us. “Sandwiches will do.”

“Right, we need food to bring with us when we take breaks.” I agreed and the five of us left Tsubaki's workshop and went to the main building to the kitchen.

The four of them sat there and watched as I pretty much pretended I was a food processor and made up several sandwiches using the large bread loaves. Slices of different kinds of meats, lettuce, tomatoes, mustard, mayonnaise, and two kinds of cheese were quickly combined. Each sandwich was almost two inches in height when they were finished and I made thirty of them.

“I can see why Loki tried to hire you permanently.” Hephaestus said as she ate one. “This thing is delicious and flavorful.”

“I cooked homemade spaghetti and meatballs for her and her executives.” I said and Lili and Tsubaki choked on the food in their mouths. I patted their backs to help them.

“All of the executives were there and you still got away after refusing her?” Hephaestus asked, clearly surprised.

I grinned at her. “They were too stuffed with food to move. Loki even had a bulged belly.” I said and grinned at her as I put my hands down to my belly to show them how much.

Lili laughed and coughed and laughed again. “That's... too funny!”

“She begged someone to stop me as I walked out and no one could move to try.” I said and started wrapping up six of the remaining sandwiches. I nodded at Lili and she turned her back slightly and pointed to a side pocket. I put the sandwiches inside and they easily fit.

“I bet they have people running around searching for you.” Hephaestus said and picked up another sandwich to eat it.

“It wouldn't work.” I said and pointed to my armor. “With the helmet on, no one can see my white hair.”

“Ha!” Tsubaki said and punched my shoulder. “You're hiding right in front of them!”

“It's the best spot because no one ever thinks to look there.” I said and she laughed. “Is there anything else you need to grab before we head out?”

“I should change first.” Tsubaki said with a girlish giggle and lifted her wand. A bright flash of light and a flash of her tasty nakedness later, she was wearing her normal outfit that made her look like a samurai. Her latest sword hung from her hip, too.

“We need to stop by a tailor shop for a bodysuit for Lili and she can safely put on her new armor.” I said and both she and Lili nodded. I walked to the head of the table and bent down to lightly kiss Hestia on the lips. “Goddess Hestia, we go into the depths in your name once more. Wish us luck.”

“Good luck, my Bell.” Hestia said, proudly. “Good luck to you too, Lili and Tsubaki.”

“Goddess.” Lili and Tsubaki said and bowed heir heads.

“Goddess Hephaestus, we will endeavor to procure what resources we can in your name as we travel. By your will.” I said and bowed to her.

Hephaestus gave the other women a brief glance, blushed slightly, then she grabbed my collar and pulled me in for a quick kiss. “I won't settle for anything less than decent quality ore.”

I tried to keep the surprise off of my face as I stood up. “We will do our best.”

Hephaestus nodded and I led Lili and Tsubaki out of the room and then the building.

“That was a surprise.” Tsubaki said before I could.

“Maybe her permission for only in private was for me kissing her and not the other way around?” I asked, trying to make sense out of it.

“I don't think I've ever seen her kiss anyone in public.” Tsubaki said and then shrugged. “Maybe you loosened her up with all the screwing you did while I was asleep.”

I chuckled at that. “I would have given you a good roll in bed if Hephaestus hadn't chosen to keep me wrapped up all night.”

“All night?” Lili asked, surprised.

Tsubaki laughed. “She's clingy now, too? That's amazing!”

I had to smile as I remembered how Hephaestus acted last night and this morning. “She definitely didn't react like I thought she would.” I said and didn't give any details. Her tender kisses and loving nature had seemed to pour out of her while we had sex. “You might need new blankets.”

Tsubaki kept laughing as we left the compound and went to the closest tailor shop. We bought a nice black bodysuit in Lili's size and more pieces of cloth. We left there and walked back towards the Hephaestus Familia compound as I added protective cloth padding and reinforcements to where the armor would be attached.

Lili look impressed when I finally handed it to her and she put it into her backpack without having to take it off. “Why are we going back to the Hephaestus Familia and not the dungeon?”

“It's quicker.” Tsubaki said.

Lili looked confused and I didn't say anything. We walked into the compound and around the main building to what she thought was a random spot. She caught her breath when I took out a shovel and dug up a few furrows of dirt and changed them into wood panels that I tacked together for her.

“Go ahead and put on the bodysuit and we'll help you with the armor.” I said and waved her inside.

Lili gave me an odd look as she sipped off her giant backpack and took the bodysuit out. She stepped into the temporary dressing booth and closed the door.

“She's going to be so surprised when she learns this next secret.” Tsubaki said with a soft chuckle.

I smirked and nodded. I couldn't wait to see her face, too.

Lili stepped out of the small booth and I let out an appreciative whistle before I could stop myself. Her blush let me know that she knew what I meant by it, so I knelt and gave her a quick kiss and a hug as I whispered an apology for staring at her. She giggled and lightly pushed me away.

Ten minutes later, after Tsubaki and I diligently showed Lili how each armor piece worked and fit on her, she wore everything and I changed her boots to match in color, just like mine did. She refused the helmet for now, because it cut off some of her vision and she would only wear it when we were in danger.

I turned the wood back into dirt and used a touch of magic to remove the evidence I had done anything as I smoothed it out again. The three of us walked about thirty feet away and stopped.

“Now what?” Lili asked and looked around. “Why did we stop?”

I smiled and held a hand down towards the ground. “This is another secret the Hestia and Hephaestus Familias share.” I said and chose the right destination.

Lili opened her mouth to ask what it was and the ground around us lit up. A flash of light later and we were somewhere else.

“Welcome to the eighth floor of the dungeon.” I said and motioned towards the brownish walls covered in moss. “This room is about 60 feet away from the exit to the seventh floor and it has protections around it to stop anyone or anything from coming in here and wrecking it.”

The completely stunned look on Lili's face made Tsubaki laugh and hug her.

“With you along for cleanup, we're going to go through this place like Bell chopping up food!” Tsubaki exclaimed and let the stunned support person go before she drew her sword. “It's our first run on this floor, Bell. Keep your eyes open and your weapon ready.”

I cast detection and nodded. “There are 8 war shadows and 15 giant ants about 35 feet to the left. The barriers I erected seemed to have scared them off.”

“Any adventurers?” Tsubaki asked and crept over to the door without making a sound.

“No, and there's no ores or magical signatures from enchantments or weapons.” I said.

Tsubaki nodded and opened the door, peeked out, and smiled at me. “You first.”

Lili caught her breath and looked at me.

“You might need to cover your eyes in a few seconds.” I whispered and slipped by Tsubaki and out into the hallway as I drew the mythril sword.

“I love this part.” Tsubaki whispered behind me.

I held up the sword and dropped 50 points of Light magic into it. The brilliant glow lit up the hallway, the room I had just left, and the four rooms along the hallway.

“SSHHHEEEEEEEE!” The ants screeched because they were all instantly blinded and the war shadows immediately popped.

I dropped to the floor as the light faded and Tsubaki leapt over me with her sword swinging, her laughs echoed off the walls as she slaughtered the blind giant ants.

Lili closed the door and walked over to me. “I'm not that nervous about you going first now.”

I chuckled and knelt to stand, gave her a quick kiss, and stood as I pointed down. “Do you need more light to pick all those up?”

Lili looked confused before she looked down and gasped. The floor was covered in monster stones of all shapes and sizes. There were thousands of valis worth of them there. She knelt and started scooping them into her pack like a demon.

“Apparently, they must have been trying desperately to get in there since I set up the protections yesterday morning.” I said and then chuckled. “I just realized that there should be piles like these around the other seven teleportation circles, too.”

Lili made a distressed sound and looked up at my face.

“It's okay. There's an avoidance ward placed around it. I'm not giving free valis to anyone that just happens to walk by.” I informed her and she beamed a smile at me. “Keep working and I'll catch up to Tsubaki to clear out the next set of rooms for her.”

Lili nodded and I jogged down the hallway and through a room. I had been right and she was being surrounded by spawning war shadows as she fought off stronger goblins and giant ants. A flash of light later, more than half of her opponents were dust and Tsubaki yelled out happily about how much fun she always had on our dates.

I waved to her and went back to help Lili pick up the unexpected windfall of monster crystals and loot drops.

*

Lili was amazed. Absolutely amazed. Her mind couldn't really come to grips with her life right now. They had been in the dungeon for about two hours and had stopped for their first break. A break for her, anyway. She bit into the delicious sandwich and chewed as she watched Bell and Tsubaki have sex like needle-rabbits. It was an impressive sight, she had to admit.

Another bite of sandwich distracted her just enough for her to think about the piles and piles of essentially free valis that she had gathered from around the other teleportation circles. Bell had been right when he said that the dungeon monsters didn't like that he had been to each floor and didn't do anything but cast a few magic spells, which caught their attention, and then he left.

Lili finished off her sandwich and leaned against her backpack as she crossed her arms over her breastplate and crossed her ankles. The clinks of well-forged metal sent shivers down her spine, because she knew that even though Bell had altered them with magic, they were still worth so much money. So so soooo much money.

I really could have been a Jack Bird drop. Lili thought with a mental laugh.

“That's it! Right there! OHHHHH!” Tsubaki yelled.

Lili's mental laugh escaped from her mouth and she had to muffle it with her hands.

“I think someone's feeling left out.” Tsubaki's teasing voice said.

What? Lili asked and her eyes widened when a very erect penis was right in front of her face. She opened her mouth to refuse and then it was in her mouth and she was happily sucking on Bell's surprisingly tasty weapon.

Before she realized it, Lili was upside down on her backpack and deep-throating him. She had the thought that he was being quite gentle, despite the position and the act itself, then she was right-side up again and kissing him with him inside of her. Her loud moans were dampened by the walls covered in moss and she rocked her hips to try and help him get her off quicker.

“Should we count this as a date for Lili as well?” Tsubaki asked.

Bell broke the kiss and smiled. “I think this is more of a reward for her hard work. She really is letting us go through this place much faster than if it was just me trying to clean up after the fights.”

Tsubaki thought about that and nodded. “Then you need to figure out what to do to go on a real date with her.”

“I'll try to come up with something.” Bell said and looked back at Lili. “I'm not doing anything tomorrow morning. Would you like to take a stroll through the market district and see if there's anything you'd like to buy?”

Lili's mind was much too addled with pleasure to speak actual words, so she hummed and pulled him in to keep kissing him.

“I'd say that's a yes.” Tsubaki said and opened up the side pocket of Lili's backpack and took out a sandwich. She sat down where Lili had been before and started eating as the two lovers changed position and she enjoyed the show. “Oh! Is that what we look like from this angle? No wonder you like doing us from behind.”

“It's a... great view.” Bell said between thrusts as Lili moaned indecently. He picked up the speed to keep those moans going until their scheduled break was over.