CHAPTER#139

He shuddered, the orgasm still tickling the base of his spine.

"Um... are you okay?" It was Ratu's voice, and he opened his eyes. He still stood in front of the fountain, but the runes on Naia's torso glowed brightly, shining as if the stone had never encroached on that region.

"Uh, yeah. What happened?"

Ratu made a face. "You zoned out for a couple of minutes and then let out a really loud moan. Naia's runes started to glow, and, um..." She pointed at his crotch.

He looked down and was hit with the sudden realization that he had come in his pants, the stain already visible.

"So... I'm guessing you know what happened more than I do." She leaned toward him with sudden interest. "And I would love to hear more about it."

"Maybe later." He stepped into the fountain and knelt down, his eyes scanning the water. It wasn't long before he stepped on something, and he lifted his foot to reveal the glittering green object beneath it. He picked up the emerald, water pouring off the sides of his hand, and held it up to the light. It sparkled brightly, and he couldn't suppress the grin that crossed his face.

The cool air caressed his wet pant legs, making him shiver. His shoes squished uncomfortably as he walked toward the edge of the fountain. He took them off to dump them out properly, then opened up his pants long enough to scoop out the load he had deposited there. He rinsed off his fingers, hoping not to think of it again.

"It really worked." Ratu helped him out of the fountain, then held up his shoes. Fire crawled along her hands, steam seeping free of his sneakers until she handed them back, completely dry. "Here."

"Thank you," he said, pocketing the emerald. He wondered what the next step was, then flinched at the sound of an explosion. Looking at each other in a panic, they left the fountain behind and ran for the back door.

---

The scorpion beasts had taken some time to defeat. Yuki was able to stone the first one, but the next one was covered in gibbering mouths instead of eyes, and it had become hard to hit it without getting bitten. Then came a second round of demonic beings, which turned into half an hour of punching, kicking, and blasting them back to Hell.

In a separate attack, Yuki had frozen the legs of a creature that looked like it had been stitched together by a bored five year old while Abella punched it in the face repeatedly, her legs wrapped around its giraffe neck. The street briefly went quiet when a police car passed through. Yuki fought hard to avoid laughing when the cops stood in the front yard, shining their lights across the battle that waged in front of them, their eyes casually sliding over Abella as she ripped the head off of the poorly made creature and tossed it to the ground.

Hearing nothing of interest, the cops shrugged and left.

For the remainder of the night, every time a threat was vanquished, a new one immediately appeared.

Yuki knew that this was a stall tactic, an attempt to wear the two of them down, and it was working. Her magic reserves were dangerously low, and Abella's movements had long ago become sluggish. The Society was playing a game of attrition, and once they were sufficiently weak, she expected to see their stupid blindfolded faces once again.

The sun was climbing into the sky, her stomach growling as she ripped apart a tiger made of junk. Abella had to help her with it, because the damn thing kept regenerating, but they eventually broke it apart to the point where its legs could no longer support its weight, and it collapsed in the front yard.

Abella flopped down onto the ground, her eyes up on the sky. "I don't know how much longer I can go," she admitted, then sat back up. "I'm surprised they didn't show up sooner, to be honest."

"They want to be sure. I've fooled them more than once, and every one of them we kill is irreplaceable." She gave the junk tiger's head a kick, shattering its face into pieces of metal, glass and plastic. "Expect a big push when it happens."

"Yeah, well..." Abella looked back at the house, then stood up. "Hold on a second."

"What is it?"

"I thought I heard—" she turned around and scowled. "Looks like we're in for a treat."

"Indeed." Amir stepped over the rubble in the front yard. Behind him, eight others followed close behind, each of them blindfolded as he was. "You've lasted the night, but I doubt you last much longer."

"That's what you think." Yuki found the three cards she had tucked away, her fingers closing around each. "I can do this forever."

"No, you can't. I've been watching, you are barely holding on as it is." He grinned and held up a bag. "There is literally nothing you can do to stop us now."

"We'll see about that." Yuki took a step back, toward Abella. Abella closed the gap, and they now stood side by side. "You shall go no farther."

"Do you really think the two of you can stop me?"

Yuki held up a card. "Three of us." She slashed the card through the air, cutting a hole in reality. Dark smoke leaked through it, the sky above growing darker as the figure stepped through. Astride his pale horse, Death regarded the men and women before him with casual indifference, then looked over his shoulder at Yuki.

"Avatar of Death, this I command. Your contract shall not be fulfilled until you collect the soul of that man right there." She pointed a finger at Amir, who leaned away in shock. "Death, deal thy sting!"

The horse let out a blast of air from its nostrils, and Death dismounted, holding his scythe above Amir. The Society members backed away as Death silently strode forward and swung the blade through the leader of the Society, who let out a scream and crumpled onto the ground, steam hissing from his wounds.