“I can't see the opposite wall.”

A slight chuckle escaped Mirin as he glanced over at Joseph. “Yeah it's pretty far back.”

“Exactly what was this place made for again?”

“Oh it was made back whenever the Luvarians were in charge. It could be used for storage, large scale projects or they could build within it in order to expand the guild hall above. I think this particular area was meant to be an additional lab though. They already had several things put into place to supply energy to the area plus they're the crystals.” As he spoke Mirin pointed towards the roof.

“Mirin do you ever fear running out of materials? It seems to me that you make use of a lot of things the Luvarians left behind.”

A sigh escaped Mirin as he gave his head a nod. “We do. We do. They're in total three hundred fist sized sun crystals in the roof with a master crystal in the center about the size of a person. We've actually got the knowledge to make additional sun crystals if they're damaged though the big one would be very difficult. However, whenever I think of how many decades it would take to replace all these crystals. I feel physically ill. In truth that's the situation we're in with a lot of things here.”

“Has anything ever failed?”

“You mean other then the energy supply system for our sisters?”

“Yes.”

“Nope. Not a thing.”

“In all this time you've never used up all the materials left behind?”

In response Mirin gave his head a quick shake. “Nope. We work hard to replace anything that is damaged. Like I said I don't like the ideal of all those sun crystals being broken so we just work very hard to insure that none of them are broken. That said some do get broken every once in a while or die on us but we're quick to replace them. Regular maintenance does wonders to prevent a disaster.”

Before continuing Joseph began to walk further into the large area. As he did so he looked around and took note of several sisters and brothers working. The sisters were carrying and assembling various pieces of construction material providing the plots the life bloom would need to grow in and setting up the irrigation system. As he watched one thing caught his attention. One of the sisters was packing a rather massive stone container above her head with absolutely no sign of strain upon her face. Indeed she was smiling happily despite the container being several times her volume. “Mirin I have to ask. Just how strong are our sisters?”

“That's pretty variable really. It takes quite a big difference in strength for it to begin to show on our sisters body. So while two sisters may look the same their strength can be quite different plus they're their relatively scales to take into account.”

“Could you give me a relative guess?”

“Joseph, Stella's daughter Pera can take a rock the size of your head and crush it between her hands. Our sisters can tackle one another and either seriously damage or knock over a tree thicker then you are tall get up and continue playing. Our sisters have no trouble tearing apart trolls and only truly large dragons are cause for them to show concern. I don't believe you should be surprised whenever you see them working. After all you've also been to see the museum.”

“Hm not quite the answer I was looking for but you have a point. How long do you believe it'll take them to fully prepare this place?”

“It's hard to give me an estimate they've an unusual eager about this construction project. Not that I'm saying they're not usually eager but this really goes beyond anything I'd anticipated. Honestly if we just had to worry about our sisters finishing the work I'd say you only have a few days to wait. However, that isn't the only concern. Our brothers are having to prepare special glyphs to channel the energy that the trees allow to bleed into this world. Unfortunately it's going to take quite a few glyphs due to the multiplicative nature of the energy released into the world and the number of trees in the area.” For a moment Mirin went silent and took a moment to rub his right hand.

“Is something wrong Mirin?”

“I was working on making the glyphs earlier. My fingers are still a little sore but when I think about how many we're going to need I can't help but believe I should get back to work.” As Mirin was speaking he felt something suddenly smack him upside the head. The force wasn't enough to harm him but the face full of fur he got told him that it'd been one of his sisters tails.

“Mirin don't push yourself too hard. After all if you mess up on one of the glyphs it just means you'll have to destroy it and start all over again. Hey Joseph it's good to see you again.”

“Hey Alexa what are you doing down here?”

“Working naturally.”

“Don't they need you back in the market to help keep the peace?”

A slight chuckle escaped Alexa as she quickly shook her head. “You haven't been to the market as of late have you?”

“Not in a while I've been a bit busy.”

“Since construction here began it's been pretty empty so they aren't really a whole lot of things to keep track of. The only time things fill up is meal time and the rest of the time most of us are here or taking care of other tasks.”

“I probably should have guessed as much. I just hope that whenever we actually begin growing the life bloom it proves worth it. Especially after seeing how much effort you're all putting into getting this place-” A massive impact suddenly silenced Joseph and a loud roar could be heard seconds later. Seemingly the second he heard the roar though he felt a rushing of air and something flashed in front of his eyes. Whenever he turned to look at Alexa again she was gone.

For a moment Mirin said nothing but looked in the direction Alexa had ran off to. “Well that isn't good.”

“Mirin what's going on?”

“Apparently something happened going by the sound of that impact I'm guessing something was broken. At least one of our sisters are extremely angry at the moment.”

“How do you know that wasn't a call for help?”

“It's the pitch of the roar. We don't have our sisters ears but after a while you learn to get the basic ideal of what's going on. That wasn't a cry for help it was a roar of anger. What's worse though is it was a challenging roar which means at least one of our sisters is upset with another. We should be fine though I doubt Alexa will allow anything to get out of hand and if a fight does break out the odds are it won't come our way.”

Alexa gave a sigh as she noted two large containers shattered into extremely small fragments. Two sisters were currently glaring at one another and from the way their bodies were tensed they were ready to attack. “Hold it right there both of you!”

Upon hearing their sisters voice both of them turned towards the source. Upon seeing a keeper standing there the both of them quickly relaxed their bodies and withdrew their claws. Risara was the first one to speak up. “I-”

“Quiet!” Alexa had learned long ago that in such a situation you don't let one of the combatants speak first. The story tended to always be one sided and could relight the fires very quickly. Instead of talking to them she turned to another near by sister. “How did this get broken? Just tell me what you saw.”

The sister who'd been questioned wasn't quite a guardian yet and given that the two being questioned were she felt a bit out of place. Not so out of place though that she was going to lie to a keeper though especially Alexa. “I wasn't looking when the actual collision happened but they bumped into one another while moving. Then I heard them yell at one another and it looked like they were about ready to fight.”

“Hm so you didn't see what happened?”

“No. I was just working on this.” As she spoke the sister stepped aside and allowed Alexa to see the piping she'd been working on.

At first Alexa said nothing but looked over the piping. It was clear that she was working on a major junction so she probably was indeed completely focused. “I see. Thank you for your time. Okay did anyone else see what happened?”

Zerana took a few steps closer to Alexa as she spoke. “I didn't see it exactly but I felt it happening. Risara was going to the right while Austella was walking towards the back. It was pretty clear that one of them would have to either stop and let the other pass first or alter their path a little bit. For some reason they didn't and they just bumped into one another.”

A sigh escaped Alexa as she looked at the two in question. “Austella you go first."

"I was just carrying some extra equipment to the back whenever Risara walked out in front of me. I couldn't just stop or I could end up breaking what I was packing she should have known to change directions.”

“Oh? And just why would yours have shattered?”

“Can't you tell? Thanks to its mass and dimensions any sudden movement can cause it to shift and fracture.”

For a moment Alexa looked at the bit of material Austella was packing. It sure didn't appear fragile to her. “Then you shouldn't have been walking so quickly to begin with. Risara what is your reason for not stopping and letting Austella pass?”

“She's lying! There is no way that would have broken if she'd just slowed down or even stopped. I was already passing through though so I didn't see a reason to stop.”

“You little bitch! You were much further away then me you even sped up.”

“I did not! You're the liar here. You lied about those kills and now you're-”

“Enough!” Alexa gave a sigh as she placed a hand on her forehead. While she wasn't certain of what had happened she was getting an ideal of what's happened. Apparently the two had something of a disagreement previously. More then likely either of them could have stopped but they'd chosen not to yield to the other. “It seems that there is something more here then construction. We'll get around to that later but it seems to me both of you handled your responsibilities poorly. Now I'm going to have to decide what to do about that but for now you two are going to clean up the mess you made in silence and without touching one another.”

Instead of arguing with Alexa both guardians quickly began to pick up the bits of broken stone and other materials. Given the situation they knew that whichever one of them spoke first would be in more serious trouble then the other.

What had inspired the bad blood between the two sisters was apparently hunting related. As Alexa watched them cleaning she found herself dwelling on the best way to handle the situation. If she knew who had truly wronged the other it would be simple to solve but then again this was probably a misunderstanding at the core of it all. She could confine the two of them to their homes for one meal to punish them but that seemed a bit harsh. There were no brothers in the area and the materials that had been damaged were easily replaced.

Risara put extra energy into her step as she carried the broken materials away and discarded them. Upon her return trip she made it a point to grab a small container to help her carry larger loads in hopes of pacifying Alexa. If she could at least show her some good will the punishment would be less though she was still quite angry with Austella. There was actually a smug grin on Risara's face when she returned to find that Austella hadn't had the same ideal.

It was hard for Austella to keep from saying anything or at least growling but with a keeper near by she knew better then doing that. She could see and even feel that grin on Risara's face to the point that it was hard to endure.

***********************************************************************************

“Do you believe everything is alright?”

“I believe that Alexa will resolve the situation. I just hope nothing difficult to replace was broken. So you're sure that the containers are deep enough for the life bloom's root system once it grows to an adult?”

“I'm quite certain of it. The soil will need constant replenishment but it should be alright. Especially with the system that's being placed in here. Was that something left behind by the Luvarians as well?”

“Yes they used a similar system for large scale production of difficult to retain reagents. It worked quite well but sadly backfired on them whenever the guild began to collapse. Those in charges of guild halls with such systems used them for leverage.”

“What about the forest guild hall?”

“We're not sure how it was kept out of the main struggle. It seems fairly likely that our first sisters were used to keep anyone from trying to take over by force.”

“That would mean that the sisters could be used against the other Luvarians though. Didn't they condition them so that they would be loyal?”

“We're not clear on the finer details. I imagine such records are inside the citadel but they were probably regarded as classified and thus are in a high security area we can't get into yet. It's theorized though that whatever changes the Luvarians underwent though it caused the sisters to no longer recognize them as the makers of their bodies. After all, how long do you believe our sisters would see us as brothers if we started treating them as slaves?”

“I see your point. What happened to the Luvarians that were here though?”

“They were the first brothers.”

“Could you elaborate a bit more?”

“After the struggle that consumed the guild the Luvarians that remained here and chose to stay within the forest and continue their studies realized their relationship with the sisters had to change. They became the first brothers while the highest ranked one was their natural leader. He was also the one the sisters trusted the most so he became the leader of all by default.”

“Okay I believe I understand that. How did you all end up locked out of so much of the citadel though?”

“That's one of the more unfortunate parts. You see the protective glyphs had already been put into place by the Luvarians themselves. They were after all meant to insure that only those authorized couldn't gain access to certain facilities and knowledge. Of course of those remaining only our leader had full access to each room. We believe that he intended to teach those that remained behind as brothers so that they to could gain access to such rooms but he put our sisters hunger and solving that problem as his top priority so the lessons were slow.”

“Then he dies before he can begin seriously teaching the remaining brothers. So do you have access to all areas the first did?”

“Indeed we do. We've even expanded our reach a little bit and have made our way into the apprentice's library.”

“Apprentice?”

“It's the way the Luvarians worked. Whenever they would take in children they originally had access to the students library or certain portions of it. Once they progressed beyond that they were assigned to an accomplished mage as an apprentice. Generally they were assigned in groups of five and they would take on tasks for the master from researching material for the master to preparing basic formulas. This is when they began to seriously work off their debt to the guild if one existed. After this time of apprenticeship they became a Luvarian and allowed to begin choosing their projects.”

“So the brothers of the time were all students? None of them had earned the rank of apprentice?”

In response Mirin gave his head a quick nod. “Yes but keep in mind what one had to do in order to be considered a true Luvarian potions and spells weren't enough. They had to show true ability in the art of golem maknig at the very least. Though in all honesty I believe you'd be well on your way to being a true Luvarian if they still existed as they did back then.”

“What makes you think that?”

“You created a new life form which was their primary focus and interest.”

“So Mirin are you allowed into the apprentice library?”

“Indeed I am. Not only that but I'm allowed access to the hallway for the basic spirit shards extraction chambers.”

“The hallway?”

“Well yes. Typically an official Luvarian and a few apprentices would handle the extraction of basic shards there. So I'm allowed to go examine the door but it won't actually let me in. I swear I had the day lights scared out of me one day there. I was examining the chamber door and seeing if I could do anything to get it to open whenever I noticed a citadel protector was watching me. At first I thought I'd broken a rule without realizing it but she just kept on watching me. It was only after I backed away from the door that she approached me. Instead of doing anything to me though she proceeded to examine the door and then stepped away.”

“What do you believe she was doing?”

“I believe she was checking to see if I'd damaged the door in some way. That or she was checking to see if it had been damaged and perhaps I was trying to fix it.” A sigh escaped Mirin as he gave his a slight shake. “If only I had the knowledge to even begin repairing that door though perhaps I could figure out a way to open it.”

“Are you sure that would be wise? After all, if no one even qualifies to open the door what's the odds of them qualifying to use the facility within?”

“That is true. Well Joseph I believe I've taken enough time to wrest. I'm going to resume my work. Why don't you take this time to go look around and see how things are shaping up? If you find something that doesn't seem suitable to the growth of the life bloom just inform one of the other brothers or a keeper.”

“Alright.”

***********************************************************************************

“Hey Joseph how are things going?”

Upon hearing the voice Joseph glanced up and over to Dan who was approaching him from behind. “Dan, where have you been?”

“I've been overseeing the implementation of a few of the enrichment systems. You know I don't think I've ever seen our sisters this happy to be working on construction. Well no that isn't right. There is one time I can think of them being even happier and that's whenever one of them learns she's pregnant so she begins working on the cribs.”

“Cribs?”

“Ah yeah, they like to prepare two encase the child is another sister or encase the child is human. You can imagine that cribs for sisters and those for brothers have to be built differently.”

“Ah I see. Dan I need to ask you something.”

“Well then ask away.”

“While I can understand the need for a controlled environment to grow the life bloom now that we know how it affects the world around it. We can't just let it grow out of control. Is all of this really necessary? The life bloom isn't exactly some insanely delicate creation that requires a constant supply of nutrient enriched water and it's roots would be perfectly fine with bedding only two thirds of what's being put in.”

A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he took a seat next to Joseph. “I can still remember feeling like you feel whenever I first came here. I nearly fell over once I was promoted to the rank of brother and given my own place to work in. Though I believe I was more shocked whenever I saw my home. Listen Joseph while this all may seem excessive in some ways this isn't just a facility to produce healing potions to our sisters. Rather it's a farm that will be providing a significant increase in their food supply an increase they desperately desire. So they're doing everything within their power to insure that the life bloom is well taken care of.”

“I guess I still don't fully understand how important this is to them.”

“You will in time but on to some more important concerns. I don't believe we really have enough seeds. I think some of our sisters have forgotten that it's going to take the life bloom time to grow even once this is all finished.”

“Do you believe that'll cause some problems?”

“Well I want to release some of the food from storage and let our sisters have a big feast once this is all finished. I don't mean a normal feast either I believe it would be best if they could eat as they desire for three days or so. After such a celebration they should be a bit more relaxed so they're easier to talk to. Though I would also like to begin providing healing potions in limited doses to stand in for the life bloom.”

“Dan don't you believe that's a bit much?”

“It's a little risky to be honest as it'll take a bit away from our reserves but it's not like it'll empty the storehouses and besides. It's not like there is a drought.”

“It would be nice and I'm pretty sure it would make Maria and the others very happy. On the subject of Maria though I believe I need to get going.”

“Ah yeah she's going to be moving in with you isn't she?”

“Yeah I have to say it's a little strange. She visited me often enough that I got used to her being there but I never imagined she'd move in with me. Dan why do so many sisters tend to live together rather then in individual homes anyway?”

“They like to roam and several actually do have their own homes. However, whenever some of them go out for days at a time it's nice to have someone help with the house. Besides not all of them like the ideal of sleeping inside of a building.”

“You mean they prefer to sleep outside?”

“Yeah, I think they're a little more in touch with their predatory nature and feel more at home where they hunt.”

“Hm interesting we'll have to talk about that more later.”

***********************************************************************************

“I can't believe you did that.”

A sigh escaped Maria as she looked at her sister for a moment. “I can't help it I'm still getting used to this new height and strength.”

An amused giggle escaped Mira as she stood up and walked over to the door frame Maria had just taken a rather massive chunk out of with her head. “I wonder how old this place is. Most of the homes were built to accommodate sisters of at least guardian status then again.” Instead of completing what she was saying Mira reached out and took hold of her sisters arms. She then lifted Maria and set her down so that they were looking at one another eye to eye. “Nope, pretty much the same height.”

For a moment Maria was silent as she looked into her sister's eyes. Without comment she then reached out and took hold of Mira's arms and with the same ease that Mira had lifted her separated her sister from the ground. She then placed Mira in the spot she'd been standing in moments earlier. “I guess I'll just have to go through here and make all the door frames higher.”

Picking up another sister and moving her was something that any sister could do to another with a fair amount of ease so long as it wasn't a matron. Even little Pera had more then enough strength to lift her own mother and move her if she desired. However, such acts were seen as exceptionally rude and it was considered best to only do such things when with someone you were truly close to. “Would you like me to help out a bit?”

“If you don't mind it'd be nice.” As she spoke Maria easily sunk her claws into the stone wall and began to slowly cut away a section of it.

“Hey Maria when do you think you and Joseph are actually going to have sex?”

“I'm not really sure I believe that he's interested in me and I'm interested in him. Now that we're living together I imagine it'll be pretty soon.”

“Are you going to share the same bed?”

“I sure hope so. What about you Mira is there anyone you're interested in?”

“Not at this moment.”

“So who was that guy I smelt on you a few nights ago?”

“You mean you couldn't tell?”

“The scent was kind of familiar but I couldn't really replace it.”

A slight giggle escaped Mira as she gave her sister a toothy grin. “Well perhaps the problem is that you're trying to think of one guy with that scent.”

“One guy? You mean there was more then one!”

“Maybe.”

“Hey now don't play that way. Was there more then one.”

Before speaking Mira took the time to find another door frame that needed increased in height and sunk her claws into it. “Well yes.”

“Now how did you manage that? It's hard enough to get a brother away from our sisters for a little private time and you managed to get two.”

“Secret.”

“I swear I wouldn't believe you if I hadn't smelt it on you. Come on! How did you manage to get away with what? It's not like I'm going to try and steal your guys away I have Joseph now.”

A slight chuckle escaped Mira as she turned to face her sister. She then lowered her voice so that a human couldn't have heard her even if he'd been standing next to her. “It was a few nights ago in the dining hall. There weren't many sisters around and I'd brought in some food to be prepared for the morning whenever I heard them talking to one another. They were talking about our stamina and how hard it was to keep up with us so I decided to go over and do a little flirting.”

“That's it?”

“That's it.”

“Were they drinking?”

“Ah well I smelt a little alcohol on them. It seemed to make them more receptive to the ideal of trying new things though.”

“You're just lucky another one of our sisters didn't notice them before you did.”

“Yeah I'd have to agree. It seems like Joseph will be back soon.”

“Yeah I can smell him already.”

***********************************************************************************

“Maria are you here?”As Joseph entered the building he took a moment to look around.

“Yeah Joseph I'm in here just getting some things set up.”

As he listened to the voice Joseph began to walk towards it. “Where is here exactly?”

“In the master bedroom.”

With those words Joseph quickly hurried his pace. “Just what are you arranging?”

“Just some minor things come on in.” As she spoke Maria continued setting up her dresser. The heavy tower of shelves only held a relatively small number of clothes but it was filled with a wide variety of other things. That wasn't what interested Maria most though. She wondered how Joseph would responded to the new bed.

Upon entering the room Joseph's eyes didn't go to the bed like Maria had hope but rather to the dresser. “Woe. What's all in there? I didn't think that sisters tended to wear much clothing.”

“We don't but they are other things we like to keep on hand.” As she spoke Maria opened one of the drawers and withdrew a thin stone plate and held it up for Joseph to see. “For example these are fairly necessary to keep on hand.”

“What is it exactly?”

Instead of responding verbally Maria extended her claws and pressed them into the stone slab. She then slowly drew her claws over the stone cutting a very tiny groove in it. “Claw sharpeners. You know how you humans clip your fingernails? Well we use these.”

Having seen Maria use her claws to cut through metal and stone alike Joseph was actually a bit surprised whenever her claws didn't go through the thin rectangle of stone. “Is that natural stone?”

“Nope. It's been strengthened by alchemy.” A sigh escaped Maria as she began to work her fingers over the bit of rock even more vigorously. Bright sparks soon began to radiate from the stone and fall to the floor where they quickly began to dim. After a few moments Maria turned the stone so that Joseph could see it. “The recent batch has been really terrible.”

“Are you sure it's the stone and not that you've gotten stronger?”

“I'm positive. Mira and Mina have mentioned the same thing. Poor Mina, she used to go through a tablet a day trying to keep her claws under control. With these though she's going through three to five to get the same affect and it's starting to get frustrating.”

“Why the frustration?”

“You know how I was working my claws a moment ago? Well that's sort of a good speed. We like it when we get in there and start being real aggressive. If we always go slowly then it takes forever to get done. Mina though, if she starts to get aggressive with this most recent batch she just claws them into little bits.”

“I see. So what do sisters like Sora use?”

“Larger tablets typically.”

“That makes sense.” As he spoke Joseph continued further into the room so that he was standing near Maria. Even while she was setting it was amazing to see how tall she'd become now. “I'm glad that they let you stay at guardian height.”

“Really?” Before continuing Maria placed the tablet down and turned so that she was facing Joseph. She then brought her right arm up and place it against the back of her head while placing her left hand on her thigh and thrusting out her chest. “Now is that because you would have missed me or because you like what you see.”

While Joseph had adjusted to Maria's ways a bit he couldn't help but grin as he looked at her. “A bit of both I suppose.”

“So you like me bigger?”

“It's not something I ever gave much thought before I came here but yeah I believe that I do.”

“I bet that you really like that these are bigger.” As she spoke Maria lifted her left hand from her leg and pressed it up against the underside of her right breast. As she did so she couldn't help but notice the expression on Joseph's face. The grin on her own seemed to grow and she gave her breasts a slight push causing them to bounce lightly.

“I um. Well those are. Those are quite nice indeed.”

“Would you like to touch them?”

“Huh?”

An amused giggle escaped Maria as she removed her hands from her head and breasts. She then reached out and took hold of Joseph's wrist and pulled him forward so that his hands were only centimeters from her breasts. “Would you like to touch them?”

At first Joseph had no ideal how to respond to this as he felt his heart rate speeding up. “Maria what's going on?”

“Mm nothing much just experimenting a bit with my partner. I know you've seen my body and you've said you find it beautiful but you know you've never really touched.” With those words Maria pulled Joseph's hands forward and pressed them against the front of her breasts. At first he seemed to recoil in surprise but very quickly all resistance stopped and instead he gave her breasts a light squeeze.

As Joseph lightly squeezed the front of Maria's breasts he found himself looking into her eyes. A soft rumble reached his ears moments later and for a moment he looked away only to realize that the sound was coming from Maria. He didn't say anything as he realized she was purring nor did he remove his hands whenever she released his wrist and reached around him. One of her hands pressed against his back and the other pressed against his rear. Both of her hands pushed him forward and Maria brought her face closer.

There was no hesitation on Maria's parts as she pressed her lips against Joseph's her massive left hand reached down and gently gripped his thigh. “You've toned up since the last time I really examined you.”

“I should hope so. You sure have been making getting to work interesting.”

“Ah surely it's not all bad.”

“Of course. Time spent with you can never be all bad.” Before continuing this time Joseph leaned forward and placed his lips against Maria's. Whenever she returned the kiss he let one of his hands slip from the front of her breasts and slide down so that it was underneath that massive globe. He then pushed upward noting the massive weight of the single breast. “You know I bet these could do some real damage.”

“You're probably right. You know there was more then aesthetics to making you exercise.”

“Oh and what's the other reasons.”

“Your health for one and even more importantly.” Instead of continuing right away Maria brought the hand that held Joseph's leg even higher so that it very lightly brushed against his crotch. “You're going to need a lot of stamina if you're going to be with one of us. Especially someone like me.”

A slight gasp escaped Joseph as he looked into Maria's eyes. While his fingers had been spread when initially pressed against Maria's breast now they were made to close together. It didn't take him long to find what he was searching for as he gave Maria's nipple a gentle squeeze. As he did he felt the bit of flesh swell between his fingers. He then felt one of Maria's hands against the back of his face and he was once again pulled forward so that their lips met. As their lips met though he felt something sliding up along the inside of his leg much like her hand had done before but quite different in nature.

Marian brought her tail up against Joseph's leg and slid it along until her tail pressed against the crotch of his pants. She then began to slowly move the appendage back and forth noting the change in Joseph's heart rate and breathing as she did so. This time as she broke the kiss Maria's hand slipped down Joseph's back and her claws extended so that they cut into the material of his shirt. The very tip of Maria's claws pressed against Joseph's flesh as she slid them along.

Joseph knew that with the slightest bit of force against those claws and they'd slize him right open. The thought actually served to stimulate him as under Maria's gentle touch those razor sharp weapons only served to tickle him. With her exploring his body more and more Joseph allowed his hand to glide further down Maria's stomach so that it rested just below her belly button he then pressed two fingers into her stomach and began to draw them along her lower abdominal muscles. At the same time his left hand pressed against Maria's side and began to lightly rub her just under her arm.

Soon the back of Joseph's shirt had been opened so that Maria pressed her hand against flesh instead of cloth. Instead of stopping there though her claw returned and began to lightly glide along Joseph's arm cutting away the sleeves of his shirt. As she moved her claws Maria was supremely careful to insure that she didn't cut Joseph. It was something of a trust exercise between mates. One she was determined not to fail in the least even as she cut open his right shirt sleeve and moved on to the left. “You feel nice Joseph.”

“You feel wonderful Maria.”

An amused giggle escaped Maria before she brought her face down so that it was near Joseph's shoulder and opened her mouth. As she did she brought her teeth down so that they lightly pressed into his skin for a moment before withdrawing. “Even a body like mine?”

“Yes Maria it's a wonderful body. Mine doesn't feel too weak does it?”

“No. It feels just fine.”

Apparently while she'd been speaking to him Maria had finished cutting away his remaining sleeve. With nothing left holding the garment on Joseph felt the clothing fall away and didn't pay it anymore mind as he found himself lifted from the ground for a moment and noticed Maria laying backwards. At first he thought she was going to place him so that their faces were even but instead she laid him so that his head was resting atop her chests.

“What does it feel like Joseph?”

“It feels strong yet gentle. When I close my eyes it feels like you're wearing delicate satin lingerie.”

“Lingerie?”

“Huh? Surely you know what lingerie is.”

“Hm the words sounds familiar. I can't place it though.”

“It's clothing women wear but it's not for protection from the elements or ones modesty.”

“Then what is its purpose.”

“To make a lady more attractive.” As he finished speaking Joseph gave the top of Maria's breasts a gentle kiss.

“Oh I wonder if I can get some of that. I bet some of my sisters would love to experiment with such clothing. Hey I remember now.” A slight giggle escaped Maria as she gave Joseph's back a gentle squeeze.

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph despite the situation even as he reached up and placed his hands on Maria's shoulders. He then pulled himself up so that he was looking down into Maria's bright eyes. While he was doing this though he felt something wrap around his right leg and then sudden pull such that he was made to fall upon his chest and was drug back to his original position. As he looked down to see what had taken hold of him he found that Maria had used her tail. “Okay just what can you lift with that?”

“I can't really say I've never thought to test the limits.”

“Hm.” Instead of responding verbally Joseph brought his face down so that it pressed against Maria's right breasts. For a moment he gently brushed his cheek against it then pursed his lips and pressed them again her nipple. As he did so he could actually feel small vibrations in his lips as he listened to Maria's purring. Instead of stopping there he reached down and placed his hand against her side. He then slowly began to run his right hand along her side while the other reached down and grasped her massive thigh.

As Joseph grasped her thigh Maria flexed the muscles there in letting him feel them expand within his hands. Her tail relaxed its grip upon his leg while one hand came to rest upon his back the other began to gently run along his side. As she ran her finger around his ears though she was surprised whenever Joseph was made to shake slightly. At first Maria wasn't certain what had happened so that she once again ran her finger along his ear. Whenever he was made to shake once again she realized she'd found a ticklish spot and a slight giggle escaped her.

At first Joseph wasn't certain what was going on however as he heard Maria giggle he suddenly became concerned. He didn't have time to think about that as once his lips left her nipple Maria's hand slipped down under his jaw and once again drew him upwards so that their lips could meet again. This time as they kissed though he felt her hand brush against his crotch and a sudden release. He didn't need to look down to know that Maria had just undid the button holding his pants on.

Instead of using her hand to remove Joseph's pants Maria once again brought her tail up and before he could protest or even begin to move she shoved her tail between his waist band and waist. As she did so she used the hand on Joseph's back to keep him from jerking away. Once inside of his pants Maria began to wiggle her tail around forcing the garment down and loosening there hold on Joseph.

Did Maria realize how many times her tail brushed against his crotch? Joseph didn't know but it was hard to compose himself as she rapidly moved it about. Before he'd realized what he was doing the force with which he gripped Maria had increased and he buried his face between her breasts. This didn't seem to bother her in the least as the rumbling that resonated from deep within her chest only seemed to grow even stronger. Even as he struggled to keep control of himself though Joseph didn't forget about Maria and found himself kissing and even licking the inside of her cleavage.

With a quick flick of her tail Maria finally stripped Joseph down to his underwear. However as her tail began to drift up towards this last bit of material she stopped herself as a grin formed on her lips. Reaching down she lifted Joseph's head from her cleavage and once again pressed her lips against his. As they kissed though Maria reached down and slipped one of her hands into his underwear and gently took hold of his shaft. As she gripped him she finally broke off into the kiss. “Joseph would you explore my body?”

As Joseph stared into those eyes he suddenly felt a feeling of calm overcome him. “Yes.”

Upon hearing those words Maria released her hold on Joseph and raised her arms so that both her hands came to rest above her head. “Please start wherever you wish.”

For a moment Joseph did nothing but look into Maria's eyes he then raised himself up to a seated position so that he was on top of Maria and reached forward. As he took hold of her massive arm she raised it so that her fingers brushed against his face. Taking hold of her hand Joseph lightly pressed his fingers into Maria's as he did so he noticed Maria's claws just lightly peaking out and placed a finger over them. He then firmly pushed his finger into hers and began to trace the path where those claws recessed into Maria's fingers.

Even as Joseph explored her Maria couldn't control her body perfectly and her tail once again drifted towards him to lightly brush against his back. A deep sigh escaped Maria as she noticed Joseph shiver and felt his fingers working along hers seeming to note the difference between her fingers and that of a humans. “Can you feel it?”

“They're not quite like a humans hands the muscle structure is different. They're still lovely.” As he finished speaking Joseph brought his lips down and kissed the very tip of Maria's index finger trusting her to keep that claw retracted. After he kissed the index finger he moved along giving each one of the fingers a gentle kiss. As he did so he felt something brush against his side but he didn't need to look down to know that it was Maria's free hand.

“You're quite handsome Joseph.”

“Even though my body is so fragile?”

An amused giggle escaped Maria as she gave Joseph's stomach a slight flick causing him to jump slightly. “A tusker is fragile to me.”

A slight chuckle escaped Joseph as he brought his lips down and kissed Maria's wrist. “That's quite true.”

“You know though not every part of me is strong.”

“Oh and what part would that be.”

“Here.” As she spoke Maria took hold of Joseph's hand and moved it down so that it pressed over her heart. “Right here. So be gentle with me.”

For a moment Joseph didn't know what to say but his smile never faded. He felt Maria's hand release his wrist and he once again lowered himself only this time he moved even further down so that his face was even with Maria's lower lips. Reaching out he took hold of both of Maria's massive thighs giving them a gentle squeeze he slowly extended his tongue and pressed against Maria's petals so that he heard her gasp and felt those massive muscles expand beneath his grasp. He wasn't ready for what happened next.

As Joseph's tongue glided over her petals Maria's tail once again slipped inside his waste band and brushed against his shaft. Instead of retreating this time or just giving it glancing blows her tail continued to move and rub against him. Even while she was working his shaft though Maria could feel Joseph's tongue lapping at her petals.

Even as he worked her petals Joseph was aware of his surroundings changing. He felt Maria's legs closing in around him and then crossing so that they wrested upon his back as if to prevent his escape. He had no intention of going anywhere though even as he struggled to remain focused on the task at hand with Maria's tail moving all the more vigorously. He soon found himself not just lapping at her petals but lapping up her nectar as well.

For a moment Maria was made to gasp as Joseph gave her petals a particularly strong lick and for a moment parted them. Realizing that she had to do something with her hands Maria took hold of both of her breasts in the respective hand. As she squeezed those massive globes she had to be careful not to squeeze Joseph with her legs. “Oh. Oh! That's good. More please.”

Upon the words reaching his ears Joseph felt his entire body convulse and if Maria hadn't ceased teasing him with her tail for the briefest of moments he felt certain he would have lost it. As his body calmed down he once again resumed his tasks but instead of only relying upon his tongue he chose to involve his hands as well. His right hand was made to leave Maria's massive thigh and press against her stomach. As his fingers pressed into her abdomen he could feel those remarkable muscles twisting and flexing with every movement Maria made.

Even as Joseph stroked her stomach Maria's right hand left her breasts and reached down for him. Before her hand could quite reach his head though Maria bit down on her lower lip and ever so slowly retracted the limb. With the way she was feeling now she knew that if she allowed herself to touch Joseph she wouldn't be able to contain herself and for the moment at least she wanted him to explore and learn her body at his own pace and in his own way. At least he seemed to be learning very quickly.

It had taken a few licks of her petals but as Joseph ran his tongue along them he'd finally began to get an ideal of how much force was needed to truly stimulate Maria. Unfortunately her squirming tail made it extremely difficult to focus such that he couldn't get the pressure just right every time however he was at the very least doing a better job of keeping it in the ballpark. As he lapped up a bit more of her nectar he took a moment to notice a small bit of flesh. For a moment he stopped then leaned forward and pressed his lips against it lightly sucking on Maria's clitoris as he did so. A sharp gasp reached his ears and before he knew what was happening Maria's hand clamped down on the back of his head and her tail gripped his shaft firmly.

As she grasped Joseph's head Maria forgot her previous decision to let him explore and pressed his face firmly into her petals. While she did so she began to tighten and relax the grip she held on his shaft far more quickly. For a moment Joseph stopped responding but soon enough she felt his tongue begin to press against her petals all the more quickly though this time her hand guided where it went. Her breathing became more rapid and she began to caress her nipples more rapidly with her free hand.

Joseph didn't know what was going on at the moment and he didn't really care. As the feeling of Maria's tail teasing his member became more vigorous and he continued to lap at her petals he soon lost himself. He began to squirm about thrusting his hips forward against the bed while kept stationary by Maria's legs and hand. A sharp gasp from Maria was the only thing that registered with him moments later and he her legs suddenly tightened their hold on his forcing his face into her petals he felt her entire body shuddering and could fee her nectar coating his face. A sudden wave of pleasure hit him as his body seemed to register what was going on and he soon went limp.

***********************************************************************************

“Well you look stiff.”

A groan escaped Joseph as he looked at Dan. “Yeah my sides are a little bruised.”

“Your sides? How did your sides get bruised weren't you going to-” For a moment Dan went silent as a grin formed on his face. “Oh! I know what happened. Well don't worry too much. Mina managed to rough me up a bit the first time I was with her pretty badly though nothing was broken. She can still leave me pretty sore but she's learned to be more gentle. They all do with practice.”

“Is it that obvious what happened?”

“Well it's a little obvious considering how you're walking. That and the looks you've been getting.”

“Huh?” For a moment Joseph went silent and glanced around. As he did so he remembered what he'd been told about the sisters and their sense of smell. “Are they looking at me?”

“Well they're trying to be polite so it's not like they're looking whenever you are.” A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he shook his head. “So how far did you get anyway? Did you two go all the way?”

“No. Not quite.”

“Ah that's not really surprising. Maria was probably being careful the first time to insure she didn't hurt you too much.”

“What about you and Mina then?”

“No. No where near it really. The first time I lay with Mina she really limited herself to using her tail for the most part. It was kind of difficult for me as well as. It's just difficult to really stay focused whenever you hear stone being ground to gravel by the hands of the lady you're laying with.”

“Ah yeah I imagine that is a factor.”

“I trusted Mina but there was always the thoughts of. What if she grabbed my head by accident or what if those legs tightened up.” A slight chuckle escaped Dan as he shook his head. “You'll really be in for it though once Maria learns to control her passions.”

“Um Dan I hope this isn't asking too much but do you know of anything that would enhance the experience for Maria?”

“Scented oils work well for Mina as long as the scent is very subtle. They get a lot of information from smell you see so that's a big part of mating for them. By the same token though make certain that you don't stink as they will notice it and even if they don't say anything it can take away from the experience for them.”

“Where did you learn that? I doubt Mina was the one that told you.”

“I learned it from some of our other sisters when I asked a similar question to yours. I was planning a romantic night for me and Mina. Oh and this is very important. If you can prepare a nice high sugar meal before the two of you lay together it does wonders for her enjoyment.”

“That makes sense. I imagine being hungry can sort of ruin the mood. So make sure she's well fed in advance, make sure I don't stink in the least and prepare some scented oils or candles. Is there anything else?”

“Take your time. If you try to match a sister's stamina you're going to fail and she's going to end up being left frustrated. You know you should probably talk to Mina about this I'm certain she could give you some nice tips. Oh and my personal recommendation. Drink a potion of stone skin in advance. Even if it's just a weak one you can make quickly it'll really help out.”

“Hm on the subject of injury prevention.”

“You want to know what to do if she accidentally draws blood or fractures something?”

“Well yeah. For a little while there Maria really got into it and I was a little worried that she might lose herself in the moment and well.”

“Scream.”

“Huh?”

“If it seems like Maria is losing control of herself and starts dealing some real damage you need to scream. Scream like your life depended on it because it just might. This will do one of two things hopefully. If she has indeed forgotten herself it'll snap her back to reality and get her to release you. Now if it is as you fear and she hasn't actually lost her composure it'll still make it very clear that she's going a little further then you're prepared for and she'll probably step it back.”

“Did you ever have to scream like that?”

“Um well I came close. Mina was nipping my neck and shoulder a bit and she was kind of getting into it. She didn't actually break the skin but when I saw how her jaw was working it made me really nervous. Thoughts of how big of a chunk she could take out of my neck began to flood my mind and I was about to scream for her to stop. She seemed to realize how nervous I was getting though and eased up.”

“I can see how Mina could make someone nervous without meaning to. I'm just worried that if I do something like scream Maria will think that I don't trust her. I don't want to hurt her and I do want to be with her.”

“Well then you could always wait until she draws blood or you think something has been broken. I wouldn't wait much further then that though. If it's just a little blood though first try just letting her know that you're not into that sort of thing. I've heard a few brothers talking though and I know some of them do like a little bit of pain and even to have some blood drawn.”

“Hm yeah not my thing. Ah well onto something else. Did you hear about that fight that broke out at the construction site?”

“I heard about it from Mina actually. Alexa came to speak to her about what had happened and what should be done. Apparently those two have been at each other's throats for a little while now over a hunting incident. Though they've never really been friends. It was finally decided that they'd just be allowed to fight it out.”

“Won't that lead to more problems?”

“Not quite. They're going to fight it out in the arena.”

“Arena?”

“What you haven't heard of the arena yet?”

“Nope. I didn't even know you had one.”

“Well it isn't really an arena for the most part it's actually more of a theater. At times it becomes an arena though such as whenever a dispute can't be settled in a civil manner. It's also used whenever some of our sisters just want a challenge of course.”

“How often does that happen?”

“A bit more often then you might believe. I'm thinking of going with Mina later today and seeing exactly how things turn out.”

“What anyone can just go?”

“Indeed think of it as public discipline. When I first heard about it I actually thought it sounded pretty barbaric but honestly it's a lot less severe then public flogging or gallows. Oh I almost forgot. It's also used for training young sisters at times.”

“You have a point. What kind of training though?”

“Combat, while typically they take such exercises out into the forest the theater is used for a sort of special training. Anyway, they're some regulars that go to watch the match ups be they a friendly duel or two sisters resolving an issue.”

“Hm where I'm from that'd get a lot of fan fair.”

“Well the sisters really don't advertise it. To them it's just a part of what goes on here and they don't really have any tourist or money makers to bring in. It actually surprised me whenever Mina said she wanted to go tonight. Why don't you ask Maria to come along?”

“I suppose that I may. What kind of turn out can I expect?”

“Not a very large one really. They'll be a few come to see the trouble makers punished but without a real crowd drawer the odds of even half the seats being field is pretty low.”

“So what is a crowd drawer?”

“The younger sisters training or having sort of mock battles. That and the occasional friendly match if the sisters in questions are regarded with high esteem. It took me a while to figure it out but I think most of them come to cheer their friends on rather then for the violence.” A sigh escaped Dan as he rubbed his head. “Which really has me wondering why Mina wants to go.”

“Yeah she doesn't seem to be the type to enjoy watching two sisters be punished.”

“No. She really isn't. Not unless they did something that really upset her and she wanted to make sure the punishment was thorough. I suppose she might just want us to get out together for a while. The water has been too cold for us to go swimming together.”

“Really? The weather still seems fine to me.”

“That won't last believe me. You can tell whenever things are going to start cooling down around here by examining the water in some of the rivers. Once it starts to get a little chilly you know things are going to start cooling down.”

“Hm well I'll speak to Maria about it and see what happens.”

***********************************************************************************

“So Dan and Mina are suppose to be coming?”

“Well that's what Dan said though even he admitted to not knowing why Mina would want to come here tonight.”

“Joseph you don't set there.”

“Huh?”

“Only sisters are allowed to set there. The fight can get a little intense and encase something gets thrown brothers and the sisters that are with them set over there.” As she spoke Maria indicated a group of seats that while similar in layout to the ones Joseph had set down on they sported a rather odd combination of glyphs.

“Oh alright. What's special about those seats over there?”

“Well for one thing the combatants know that they're not suppose to throw anything in that direction. It's also have some decent magic protecting it from projectiles.”

“Don't you degrade magic though?”

“Yes we do that's why the glyphs are reinforced at the beginning of every match. They look pretty active right now so they were probably backed up an hour ago or so. Anyway let's take our seats over there and I'm certain Dan and Mina will be along soon.”

“Alright. You know where I come from they serve refreshments at these sort of things.”

“Would you like me to go get you something? We have snacks here every once in a while but well.”

“No thanks. It'd be in pretty pore taste to snack while watching two people fight one another outside of a friendly duel.”

“Yeah that's how we tend to feel. Um.” For a moment Maria went silent and sniffed the air several times. “Follow me Joseph.”

“Alright but where are we going.”

“To check on something.”

As Mirin watched the area being prepared he leaned back and looked up at the sky. “You know you don't have to hide yourself.”

“I know how did you know I was here though.”

“You bumped me with your tail.”

A sigh escaped Sora as she allowed her presence to be seen. “I swear that thing has a mind of its own at times. What brings you here Mirin? Did you come to see the punishment handed out.”

“Actually yes, I'm here to make sure things don't get too extreme.”

“Oh. So at the first sight of blood you're going to call the entire match off?”

“You know better then that Sora. However, the last time one of these happened and I wasn't here two of our sisters were taken out of commission for a week.”

“They got what they deserved.”

“I don't agree. That punishment was entirely excessive.”

“Mirin they let their little squabble spill over into the main town. They took out two buildings before a keeper was able to arrive and break them up. If a brother had been inside of one of those buildings or near the area he could have been injured. Even a young sister could have been really hurt during that brawl. The fact that they just got a beating was entirely too light.”

“They wouldn't have fought like that if there had been any brothers or young sisters in the area.”

“You say that but they still started a fight in the village. That shows me that they weren't thinking of such issues and the fact that no brothers or young sisters had been near is just a matter of luck.”

A sigh escaped Mirin and he gave his head a shake. “Well I'm not going to change your beliefs in regards to this matter. I still say that the fight wouldn't have even happened if there had been a brother or young sister near by. It was the fact that there was nothing to keep the cork on that all that tension was able to escape at once. Anyway, what do you think these two deserve?”

“A few rounds of smacking one another around seriously should work out all their aggression and be painful enough to insure it doesn't happen again. Unless they decide to take on a keeper then well.”

“Mirin!”

Before Mirin could responded Sora glanced over at Maria and Joseph. “Well hello you two. Did you decide to come set with us.”

In response Maria gave a quick nod. “I figured we may as well. We're also waiting for Mina and Dan to arrive?”

“Mina and Dan?” It was hard for Mirin not to be a little surprised at hearing this news. “This is just a punishment session tonight though.”

To this Maria gave a quick nod. “Yeah but Joseph asked me to bring him here after speaking with Dan. The really strange thing is that it seems it was Mina's ideal to come here. Once she arrives I'm going to have to ask her why though. So Mirin what are you doing here?”

“Oh he's worried that the punishment will be excessive. Apparently he's upset with what happened during a similar situation a few months back so he's keeping an eye on us.”

In response Maria gave a quick nod and took a seat. “Joseph you set here next to me.”

“Alright.” As Joseph took his indicated seat he looked back at Mirin and Sora. “Now that I'm here I'm a little curious. Exactly how did this form of punishment get started?”

Now Mirin chose to speak up. “It's been with us for quite some time really. It began to handle disputes based on personal grudges that needed to be punished but didn't seem like that could be settled by outside forces.”

“I find it remarkable that this never turned into more of a spectacle. Most people I know love to watch others fight one another in such settings.”

Well before Mirin could respond Sora spoke up. “Oh we do like to watch our sisters duel. However, seeing one another be punished is a different matter. It's considered in very poor taste to wish ill upon a fellow sister after all and more often then not we know one another. Those that are coming are probably a mixture of friends of the two combatants or have something of a grudge against them. They're probably a few that don't fall into either category but their reasons can be hard to guess. Hey Mina.”

“Hey Sora, Mirin, Maria and even Joseph. Would you mind if the two of us joined you?”

Joseph had actually been surprised by Sora's statement but sure enough after a few moments of looking around he saw Mina walking towards them. “It's fine with me.”

In response Mirin gave a quick nod. “Surely you're welcome.”

“Thanks.” As she spoke Mina relaxed the hold her tail held on Dan and set him down so that he could get seated. Mina chose to set slightly off to the side in front of the rest of the group. “So Joseph Dan told you about this huh?”

“Yeah it's my first time here. Mina I hope you don't mind me asking this right off the bat but from what I've been told it sounds like nothing special is happening tonight. So why are you here?”

“I. I haven't been feeling very well.”

Dan was actually made to visibly jump upon hearing this and turned to face Mina. “Mina what do you mean? You haven't told me about you not feeling well.”

“Don't worry it's not physical.” A slight chuckle escaped Mina as she shook her head. “I just have been feeling a little tense.”

Before anyone else could speak up Sora chose to. “Oh I see. You're feeling the tension aren't you?”

“I believe that may be it. I just realized it today and I thought that maybe seeing a good fight would make me feel better you know? I know that it's in poor taste to be here like this but I really. I'm really feeling it.” For a moment Mina's body seemed to tense up.

As Joseph listened to the others he couldn't help but ask. “What do you mean?”

Before speaking Maria placed a hand on Joseph's to get his attention. “It's something like our hunting instinct. You know that we begin to feel stressed if we don't get to go hunting every once in a while to let our instincts take hold. Something similar happens whenever we're constantly forced to suppress our urge to fight or protect something a great deal. So Mina you think that this will help you?”

“Yeah good matches can be really exciting after all. If I can just let myself get lost in the show then that should let me release some of this tension.”

Mirin had been surprised by this news as Dan had been but now he spoke up. “Mina, this isn't good news. I'm not sure if this fight will give you what you need considering the nature of the fight. It'd probably be best if we could find you an actual opponent to spar with.”

“I know but who could I spar with? I'm too strong to spar with another keeper. I really don't want to seriously injure or kill one of my sisters you know?”

In response Mirin gave a nod. “Well then it'll just have to be a matron.”

“A.....matron?”

For a moment Dan didn't know what to think as he leaned over and looked into Mina's face. He was rather surprised to see that one of her eyes was being to dilate as if she was preparing to strike. Her voice also sounded rather strange. “Mina!”

Upon hearing Dan's voice Mina immediately gave her head a vigorous shake. “Sorry. My head has just been kind of funny.”

“Mina why didn't you tell me about this?”

As she listened to him Mina could hear the hurt in Dan's voice despite her fogged head. “I thought that I could handle it and I could release it over time. I didn't mean to hide anything from you Dan I just didn't think it was anything to worry about.”

“I believe that it is.”

“Yeah you're probably right.”

Before things could go further Mirin spoke up. “Then it's a good thing you came tonight. Watch the fight and see if you can get some release from observing. Once this is over I'm going to find someone that can spar with you. Though since we're on the subject. Maria how have you been feeling?”

“I'm fine Mirin.”

“Are you certain? Your mutations may be different but both yours and Mina's are some of the most powerful that we've ever seen. They're most assuredly some of the most powerful mutations amongst your generations.”

In response Maria gave a quick nod. “I don't have to deal with the stress of being a keeper though.”

“Indeed well then. Let's be quiet and just observe it seems some of the others have arrived.”

Mirin's words actually surprised Joseph and he took a moment to look around. Upon looking around he found that several sisters had joined them though most of them were pretty spread out. It still amazed him how quietly such large beings could move when they wanted to. “I swear I'm still getting used to such large people being so quiet.”

A slight chuckle escaped Mirin as he looked towards the arena floor. “I can't say I know what that's like this is just how things are to me. Anyway, let's quieten don't it looks like the combatants are here.”

Risara and Austella looked at Alexa who had joined them in the arena. They were both rather relieved to see the stands mostly empty but were a bit surprised by some of the people that'd come to watch. It seemed a few sisters were upset with them for squabbling at the construction site. They didn't get to think about that for the moment as Alexa spoke up.

“Risara, Austella while who is at fault for your recent disdain towards one another is uknown it has been decided that something must be done about it. As the two of you have been deemed evenly matched it's been decided that you'll be allowed to resolve your differences through test of strength. That strength can be either tested against one another or it may be tested against a keeper. I encourage you both to work together and choose to face one of your larger sisters together so that you may not just put to rest these hostilities but bond as sisters.”

Austella was the first to speak up. While she knew that a keeper would tend to hold back and not truly injure them she couldn't bring herself to work with Risara. “I'm not going to work with her.”

“I'd rather beat her tail in then strike a sister I have nothing against.”

After a moment Alexa gave a nod. “It's your choice then. I'm going to step out of here and then you two may begin.”

As Joseph watched Alexa leaving the arena he found himself wondering if it was considered impolite to talk. Curiosity got the better of him though and he whispered to Maria. “Maria what was that?”

“The combatants can either work together against a keeper or fight one another. Working together against a keeper is considered the better choice of the two but if you're so angry with one another that's not possible then it isn't forced. However, fighting one another tends to be a lot more painful as the keepers always hold back. Those two are pretty pissed at one another.”

“What's to stop them from going easy on one another?”

“All the eyes watching them. Failure to give it your all in this situation is seen as trying to dodge the punishment and sure won't win you any friends.”

“Then what if one of them refuses to fight back?”

Maria couldn't help the surprise on her face as she turned to look at Joseph. “I um. I really don't know what would happen then if one just took all the blows from the other. That would be. Well kind of unheard of. I sure don't remember it ever happening.”

Austella held her ground until she heard Alexa's final foot step outside of the arena. At that moment she pushed off the ground and lunged towards Risara. While she knew this wouldn't be an easy fight she was going to do her best to make sure Risara got the worse of it. Especially sense she believed it was Risara's fault they were both there.

Even as Austella leaped forward Risara quickly shifted to the side and extended her hands to catch hold of Austella's arm. As she gripped the limb she quickly pushed downward reserving the direction of the lunge so that she sent Austella towards ground. While she took hold of the limb though she felt Austella suddenly shift in her grasp. The sudden torque applied to Risara's fingers forced them to be loosened so that she lost her hold and a powerful impact resounded throughout the area. Even as she heard Austella impacted with the ground Risara thrust her leg forward planning on kicking her downed opponent instead all she met was air.

Austella had managed to twist so that her legs met with the ground first. The moment they did so she'd pushed off the ground and leaped back into the air. As she did so she attempted to strike Risara in the head only to have her opponent duck under the limb and thrust her fist upward. Austella felt the fist strike her seconds later though Risara hadn't managed to strike her intended target. Instead Austella had used her foot to block Risara's fist and quickly pushed off of it putting some distance between herself and Risara. Before she had even landed Risara had began rushing towards her once again claws extended.

Instead of trying to strike Austella before she reached the ground Risara quickly weaved to the side intending to strike her where her defense was weak. As she moved though she could already see Austella was twisting her body in order to prevent that from happening. A roar escaped Risara as she moved to go through with the attack anyway and lashed out at Austella. Once again her strike met with Austella's leg however this time it served to throw her off her balance before Risara could celebrate though she felt something strike her in the side and send her slamming to the floor as well.

Joseph didn't know what to think as small chunks of stone pelted the stands. While the sisters didn't seem to notice them or at least they didn't care he noticed the barrier protecting them blink slightly. It suddenly made a lot more sense to have a protective barrier around the stands. Just by the sounds of the sisters bodies slamming into the ground it was clear that tremendous power was being put out by both of them. Despite though impacts though they were back on their feet nearly as quickly as they'd been taken off of them.

Risara had no doubt that her right arm had been bruised but she knew she'd hurt Austella's leg. So that as soon as she regained her footing she once again rushed towards her opponents. The two were of a very like mind at the moment so that as Risara pushed her Austella had already began to move in her direction. There run wasn't that of a human though rather both sisters made use of their arms and legs as they moved rapidly over the ground claws and toes cutting through the stone as they demanded more traction from the stone then it was used to giving. As they came within striking distance Risara saw Austella's leg coming towards her and dug her feet into the ground letting lose a resounding roar.

Austella felt her leg slam into Risara's side and could hear the stone being crushed beneath their feet. Before she could gain any sense of victory though she felt a sharp pain run up her stomach and immediately realized that Risara had just slashed her. With one leg still in the ground Austella pushed off the stone floor and quickly rolled to the side to avoid another slash. Before she could strike Risara back she saw her leave the ground and felt something slam into the side of her head sending her flying.

Despite the sounds and roars Dan wasn't paying much attention to the fight. Rather he'd turned his attention to Mina who was watching the fight intently. It was actually a relief to see that she seemed focused on the happenings. While she was watching the fight he took his time looking over her body for any signs as to what she was feeling.

As he watched the fight Mirin noted several chunks of stone flying up and pelting the barrier. They were slow moving tiny projectiles that posed no threat but he still reached down and placed his hand on the glyph holding the shield. As he did so he began to channel some of his own energy into the glyphs backing up the barrier that protected the stands. Something brushing against his back halted him for a moment and he looked up at Sora. “Yes?”

“You get paranoid whenever you have others to look out for.”

Mirin gave a chuckle and removed his hand from the glyph. “I don't like being hit in the face with a rock anymore then anyone else either.”

The scratch Risara had given her was a slight annoying as Austella moved to avoid being slashed again. This time as Risara's arm went past her Austella quickly locked one around the limb holding it in place. In the same motion she drove her free arm down towards the captured limb intending to either break the limb or inflict some serious harm so that it wouldn't be as usable. There was a feeling of triumph as she felt her elbow connect solidly with the limb though that was short lived as a scream of pain echoed throughout the area moments later. Unfortunately for Austella it was hers.

When her arm had been captured Risara knew she was about to pay for it. Instead of trying to escape though she'd pressed the attack even while letting Austella's own carry through. Now Risara had buried the claws of her free hand into Autella's shoulder and sunken her teeth into her shoulder. She had actually hoped to get hold of Austella's throat to force her to surrender but that clearly wasn't going to happen. There was a sudden wave of motion seconds later as a resounding impact echoed throughout the area and pain engulfed Risara's back.

Austella had put all her weight and strength into slamming Risara into the ground. Fortunately it had worked and it'd forced her to release her hold. The moment those claws and teeth were released from her flesh Austella wasted no time beating a retreat and putting some distance between herself and Risara. It angered her to no end how quickly Risara was able to recover from the blow however as she stood up Austella noticed Risara's arm was limp at her side. Unfortunately the searing pain in her shoulders told her Risara had gotten her claws and teeth in deep.

Joseph found it hard to believe what he'd just seen. While up until the sisters had been using kicks and punches they'd suddenly gone to using teeth and claws. What amazed him though was the amount of damage done in an instant. “Maria I didn't think this fight involved serious injury.”

“It doesn't. Those wounds should heal up in a few days or even hours once the fight is over. It's not like Risara tore a chunk of Austella lose.”

“I. I see. Well what about Risara? It looks like her arm is broken.”

“Probably not but after a blow like that it won't do her much good. For a moment there I thought Austella was going to have the edge after that move but now I'm not certain. She may have two working limbs still but those scratches and bites are going to mess her up.”

As Sora listened to Maria she couldn't help but speak up. “It really depends on how badly damaged Risara's arm is. She might not like using it after that blow but that doesn't mean she's not able to use it if she has to.”

“Maria, Sora I hope this isn't too much but just what is a bad injury to one of you?”

In response to Joseph's question Sora was the first to speak up. “It's really situational. We can heal from pretty much anything given time, food and rest. As the fight will be stopped before they kill one another none of the injuries are serious.”

“Bull crap.”

Sora couldn't help but grin as she looked down at Mirin. “Mirin here is just over protective of us is all. I imagine he wants to call the fight off now that blood has been drawn.”