Volk's heart thudded with excitent as he revealed the magic crystals clutched in his other hand. Solluha'r, who had been sitting quietly, her earlier look of helplessness fading, suddenly bolted upright. Her eyes widened to the size of full moons, and before she could stop herself, she let out an astonished cry, "Whaaaaaat!?"
The exclamation echoed through the room, bouncing off the stone walls like a ricocheting arrow.
Realizing how loud she had been, Solluha'r's face flushed a deep crimson. She slapped her hands over her mouth, eyes darting away in embarrassnt. "I'm sorry, I didn't an to shout," she stamred, her voice now a shy murmur.
Volk couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction, a warm smile spreading across his face. Solluha'r, still blushing furiously, slowly lowered her hands from her mouth, her curiosity getting the better of her. "H-how… how did you get those?" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "It's way too early for you to have magic crystals.
Usually, an orc can't get one until at least three months have passed… And you… you got them in just one day?" Her words ca out in a rush, stumbling over themselves as her emotions tangled together in a mixture of embarrassnt, pride, and awe.
Volk's smile widened as he leaned in closer, his voice teasing. "Guess how?"
Solluha'r's cheeks flad even redder as she caught the playful glint in his eyes. He was enjoying this—enjoying her confusion, her flustered state. She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Volk scooped her up in his arms, lifting her off the ground with ease.
"Ah!" she gasped, her body trembling with a mix of surprise and excitent. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to steady herself. But despite her shock, she managed to stamr out, "It… it was Grak'thor, wasn't it?"
Volk froze, his eyes widening in shock. "How did you know that?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine surprise.
Solluha'r, still nestled in his arms, took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "It's… it's because of your sll," she began hesitantly, her words spilling out in a rush. "And the at… The herbivore at you brought back was a special kind and only in the part of the market where they sell those kinds of at and one of them was his shop.
Plus, Grak'thor is the only butcher in the at area who would have those kinds of crystals because he… he refused to have a partner. He's the only one who does that because he ca from a hazardless tribe, one that was destroyed long ago. When you gave him that at, it must have reminded him of his old tribe, of everything he lost. That's why he gave you the crystals—out of gratitude."
Solluha'r's voice trembled as she spoke, her emotions laid bare. Her face was a deep shade of red, her embarrassnt evident as she revealed everything she had pieced together.
She had always been the informative one, the one who knew more than anyone else. But in the past, this knowledge had driven people away, made them wary of her. Her classmates had been intimidated by her, and even her forr lover, Luk'Tar, had been scared off by how much she knew. She had seen that look of fear in their eyes, that sense of alienation.
As she finished explaining, Solluha'r hesitantly looked up at Volk, bracing herself for that sa reaction, for that familiar look of fear or discomfort. But what she saw instead left her breathless.
Volk's face wasn't filled with fear or unease—it was filled with pride. His eyes glead with joy, a proud light shining within them. His expression was one of pure amazent and admiration, not a trace of the discomfort she had co to expect.
Solluha'r's heart swelled with emotion, a wave of warmth washing over her. For the first ti, she felt truly understood, truly appreciated for who she was. She felt touched, she didn't even understand what was happening but she couldn't help but felt that her feelings for Volk deepened in a way she hadn't expected.
But amidst the rush of emotions, Solluha'r suddenly beca aware of Volk's hands, which had slowly drifted down to her open stomach.
A jolt of sensation shot through her, a mix of heat and ticklishness that made her skin tingle, it also made her feel the familiar warm sticky web substance below her. As if her body reacted instinctively from his touch, making her breath quickens, with her pulse racing fast.
Unable to resist the sensations coursing through her, Solluha'r's body trembled with the intensity. But even as the familiar emotions swirled within her, she mustered the strength to whisper, "Wait… Please…"
Volk imdiately stopped, with his expression shifting to one of concern. "What's wrong?"
Solluha'r's face burned with embarrassnt, her voice barely above a whisper as she tried to explain. "I… I need to absorb the crystal first… before we… do that." Her words ca out in a shy, embarrassed rush, her eyes avoiding his gaze.
Volk's eyes widened in realization. "The crystal?" he echoed, understanding dawning on him.
Solluha'r nodded, her embarrassnt still evident. "I heard the beam of sound earlier, and… and judging by how you ca back in such a hurry, it ans the tribe won't let you join the catacombs unless you reach the third stage of Mag'Durotan. And the catacombs probably require warriors at stages three to five…" Her voice trailed off, her gaze finally eting his.
Volk couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for her insight. She had pieced everything together with such precision, understanding the situation without even needing to be told. He slowly set her down, his movents gentle and careful, as if she were sothing precious.
Solluha'r reached out for the crystals with trembling hands, her expression a mix of determination and nervousness. Volk watched her, unsure of what to do next, but then Solluha'r's shy voice broke the silence. "You… you could try the at on the first floor, if you don't know what to do for now," she suggested, with her voice laced with embarrassnt.
"It's your prize… for capturing the venomous earth mole yesterday."
Volk nodded, his mind still spinning from everything that had just happened. He left the room, making his way down the stairs to the first floor.
As he searched for the at, his thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions and questions.
When he finally found it, he unwrapped the bundle carefully, revealing the at inside.
As he looked at it, sothing familiar caught his eye.
The at was different—there was a faint glow to it, sothing that hadn't been there before. He stared at it in confusion, his mind imdiately tried to make sense of what he was seeing. But this ti, he could see that it was not green anymore, but a brown one.
Then, it hit him. "Absorption?" he muttered to himself, the word escaping his lips as the realization dawned on him.
The at had sohow absorbed the hazardous magic particles, just like he could.
The implications of this discovery left him stunned, his mind reeling with questions how?
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