Pestilence: Rise Of The Pure Undead-Chapter 1236: Losing It

As it turns out, Vwoldtnir isn't a natural when it comes to making discussion. Even less so discussion with a lady when on a date… At least, it didn't feel like they were talking about the sort of things that should be spoken about when on a late-night diner–Well, no one knew if it was actually late at night, the luminescent crystals just happened to go dimmer at that time in this particular area of Durter…

In any case, they had been doing nothing but talking about techniques and the logistics of digging holes in various circumstances–Right now, they were on the subject of digging in a mudland–Which was a thing down here in the underground continent.

"Oh, I have a bit of experience with that. I spent some time in an ocean we took over. The thing was made of nothing but mud. Most people would just sink into it like it was all quicksand. I was fine since I am lightweight… But anyway, I played around trying to see how difficult it was to dig through there. With just my claws? Incredibly difficult to keep any form of cohesive tunnel. Everything just…Goops down, filling in the empty space"

"Oh… I am talking too much, aren't I?"

Vwoldtnir felt like he had been rambling for minutes on end, but Artratac didn't seem to mind. She leaned against the table with her elbows, cradling her chin and face with her hands.

"No. Keep going, you are cute when you speak like this…"

The teeth inside Vwoldtnir's torso rattled as he heard this. He awkwardly pulled on his collar to release non-existent heat. He didn't want to make assumptions, but he was pretty damned certain that what she had just said was a very good sign. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Ah… Well… Mmh… Maybe I could tell you a story about… About something other than digging? Me and the other Gravelords have been around for a while, you know? I… Huh… I remember a time during the First War. There was a bit of a downtime, a downtime of about a decade, during which nothing really happened. Things were at a standstill basically"

"I remember that most of us Gravelords didn't have much to… We were almost all weaker across the board at that time. It was relatively early into the war, and before an age of champions and heroes arose… So… Since most of us didn't have anything to do, we had to find ways to occupy ourselves–We are undeads, but we were alive once, you know? So we tend to want to do something with our time, even if time is meaningless to us"

"Herm… Anyway, I was with my good friend Ahldelmanoknir–Everyone just calls him Ahl–He isn't a Gravelord, but he is the best digger and miner I know. He is really dedicated to this in particular, you know? He is not a strong fighter. In fact, he probably can't fight at all, but if the task is to punch a hole through something? You can trust him to make one through stuff, even King Nitok would struggle to blast through. It's all about expertise and specialisation, you know?"

"Well… Ever since I've had the pleasure of meeting you, I've been trying to learn from him–But anyway! As I was saying… On that day, we had nothing to do, so we were walking around conquered territory, and I said to him–I said:"

"Let me tell you a story… And he said to me:"

"What is the message behind that story? What is its significance?"

"So I… So I told him that not every story needs to have a strong message or a particular significance. Sometimes, a story can just be a story. If you try to find a meaning or a deep message in everything that you hear, you will just drive yourself crazy! That's what I said. Not all stories are intended to change how you see the world, or even made seriously! Sometimes… A story is just an arrangement of words, a lad or gal thought would be funny, interesting, or fresh"

"Huh… You see, as I finished saying this, I realised that I had grabbed pieces of meat to eat. I am not a ghoul who needs to eat, but Ahldelmanoknir was, but I had forgotten that he exclusively fed on ores and minerals"

"So I told him:"

"Hold on, Ahl. I'll go get you something… So huh… I dug a cluster of iron for him to eat. It was a fine day"

Vwoldtnir scratched his face. Wondering how he had managed to get so lost in his own story… He felt like it had gone on for way too long, with many portions that could have easily been trimmed or outright removed to make hearing it better for Artratac–Yet, somehow. The Hierophant-Queen was still in the same pose as before, smiling in a way that could make any man's spine tingle.

She seemed to quite enjoy hearing him ramble about random, pointless things… So much so that the date was eventually taken from a private diner to Artratac's private quarters.

For the supreme leader of an entire continent, which was the leading power in the trade of all ores and much more–Her living space was rather simplistic, almost barebones. Due to having arms from legs, Vwoldtnir tended to struggle a bit with furniture, as although he could walk on two 'legs', it simply seemed awkward to sit down instead of lying down on his stomach…

He remembered that when alive, he would sleep only after burying himself in dirt and stacking rocks on top of him. That was his idea of what a bed or couch should achieve.

But despite this, he quite enjoyed how low the ceiling was and how narrow the corridors were. It was easy to tell that this was a take on what a mole's tunnel system would look like if slightly more decorated and spacious.

The two eventually ended up sitting in what could only be described as a cloud-soft couch of moss. Artratac turned to Vwoldtnir. Her gaze was rather intense. It felt like she could pierce right through him with that look.

"Many years ago, I took a sacred pledge when I became a nun… This pledge was no longer in effect when I became the Hierophant-Queen, but I have held it up regardless… It was a pledge of purity and celibacy. It forbade any sort of intimate act or relationship"

She grabbed Vwoldtnir by the front of his first.

"Would you mind if I broke this outdated pledge right now?"

"I certainly wouldn't…"

The Hierophant-Queen hesitated for a few moments, but eased forward as the Gravelord placed his hands on her shoulders. The mole and ghoul met for a most awkward-looking kiss, as neither had a completely human-like face, both being somewhat bestial in that area, so their attempt at a kiss was bizarre-looking. Nonetheless, it wasn't to the point that it was a truly difficult act for them to pull.

After a few seconds, Artratac suddenly pulled back. Taken by surprise by the very thing that was not hanging out in the open.

"Oh… I… I wasn't expecting you to have such a big tongue, Vwoldtnir… That startled me"

She had been prepared for the cold body temperature, but not for this.

"Ah. My bad, should I-"

"No, I just didn't think it would be like that, but I don't dislike it…"

She moved back in.

Several minutes passed as they sat on the mossy couch, both sharing the first-ever kiss of their existences. One of them, because she had once taken a pledge, and the other because he had genuinely never felt the need to engage in such activity until very recently.

"Aherm… I wouldn't want to sound crude or anything, Vwoldtnir, but… Do you… Do you have the equipment? You know, like… Down there? You seem rather free of advanced rot, so I would assume that you do, but I figured I would ask…"

It genuinely took the ghoul a few seconds to understand what she was talking about.

"...I do have the 'equipment' as you put it… I haven't seen it in a while, though. It stays hidden inside of my body when not in use, so it hasn't been brought out–Ever"

It was a very good question, actually. Vwoldtnir had never actually seen that part of himself. In life, he had never encountered any female of his species, and in undeath, he had a distinct lack of 'drive' in that area, even as he met creatures like himself.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let me see!"

Artratac seemed to be incredibly curious, but Vwoldtnir guessed that it was to be expected. Now that she was willing to go into something like this, she was probably excited to see things that she hadn't been privy to for a very, very long time.

After a few seconds, the Hierophant-Queen covered her mouth with both hands.

"...Isn't this a bit too big…?"

Vwoldtnir was also seeing it for the first time.

"...It does seem impractical…"

They would have to try and make it work, though.