This Ascent to Divinity is Lewder Than Expected

7.34 – Patron IV

It was fitting, Zoey thought, that the first holy ritual held in her temple ended with the sacred stone drenched in cum.

It wasn't just the altar, too, but her, Sabina, and the surrounding area as well: completely coated. Half-flooded, really. Both girls were panting and exhausted when they'd sated themselves, Sabina's stomach rounded nicely by the heavy loads that had been poured into her. Zoey didn't know why she loved that sight so much, but she really did. There was something amazing about stuffing another girl so full it became visibly obvious—that she looked pregnant.

A few minutes passed as they lay in sweaty puddles, the alchemically-fueled fuck-fest having drained both of them in ways they—or Zoey, at least—had never experienced. She felt empty in the best way possible.

"Oh," Sabina murmured eventually. "I can feel it. How curious."

"Hm?" Zoey asked.

"I felt myself advance."

She cracked an eye open in surprise. "Without sleeping?" That was how all rank-ups happened, she had thought. Sleep, or at least unconsciousness, was a prerequisite to progressing in advancement.

"It did occur thanks to a skill," Sabina mused, idly resting a hand on her inflated belly as she spoke—which did something to make Zoey's arousal stir, regardless of how many times she'd ravaged her teacher in a row. "If anything would break convention, it would be an ability such as yours."

She propped up onto an elbow, interested by the development, her intrigue breaking through her exhaustion. "What'd you get?" she asked before she could think better.

Then she remembered: skills were private information. There was some irony to be found in hesitating over an 'intimate question' considering what they'd just done together, but that was different: sex was just sex to a lot of people.

"Let me check," Sabina said, eyes fluttering closed and brow furrowing as she sorted through her tabula anima. She snuggled into Zoey, erasing some of the hesitation she'd felt a moment prior.

A minute passed as Sabina concentrated.

"Hm. Useful."

"Useful?"

"I received two skills. Both passive, both consistently applicable. I'm pleased."

Zoey raised an eyebrow in response to that, and, to her happiness, Sabina continued explaining.

"Efficient Extraction is the first. And no, the name isn't an innuendo—it's not a skill like yours." Snorting softly, she said, "It's an excellent staple skill for an alchemist; I've seen ones like it before. In short, I should be able to pull better yields out of reagents when I prepare them myself."

"Oh? That does sound useful," Zoey said, excited on Sabina's behalf.

Of course, the ability wasn't as strange as the ones she herself received, but Sabina didn't have a class from the heavens: she had a normal Rune of Alchemy. That also meant the fourth-advancement skill wasn't as insanely strong as some of hers either, probably, but Sabina's tone of voice indicated it was something she was pleased with, and she would know what standards to judge alchemy skills by.

"The second is Essence Sight," Sabina said. "The description is vague, but I believe it will help me intuit the use of strange reagents, as well as possible combinations that would synergize well." She hummed. "It'll cut down on the experimentation stage. I would have appreciated an active skill as well, but these two passives are excellent. No doubt, they were influenced by my relation to you."

Zoey blinked. "What do you mean?" Neither of those skills seemed related to her lewd class in the slightest.

"Both aid in identifying unusual reagents and making more out of them. Who, recently, has been providing a surplus of those?"

"Oh." That was a good point. "Especially the extraction one," Zoey said. "Because lots of what I find is rare, maybe even one-of-a-kind." Unless another person ended up being imbued by a lewd goddess and having their shards—and loot—affected by divine influence, they might never show up again.

"Precisely. With careful rationing and low-yield initial experiments, I can extend a limited supply into many batches—but there's a limit to how far it can be stretched. Effective Extraction ought to help immensely, especially since it's a fourth-advancement skill."

Rather than if she'd gotten the skill at first advancement, Zoey assumed she meant.

"By how much, you think? Double?"@@novelbin@@

"Easily. Three to five times, perhaps. Such a skill is hardly unheard of in this profession, so there's benchmarks to go by. Though even abilities within similar classes within the same advancement can vary. Every class is individual, influenced by circumstance and desire. And, perhaps most importantly, the heavens' whims."

Zoey mulled that over. "But your class is morphing around me? You really think that's true?"

"Or from another perspective, my interest and alignment with you, not necessarily you yourself. It is my class." Sabina shrugged. "But without a doubt, this branch of alchemy has been a defining point in my career, and, I assume, will continue to be. So yes, my class is adapting in an expected manner—around you."

"I wonder what you'll get at higher advancements, then."

"Wondering if I'll receive more interesting skills?" Sabina asked with a hint of amusement. "I suppose it's possible. Though it probably won't happen, if I were to guess. Then again … some alchemists receive specialty skills that enhance the brewing of particular types of potions. Some even hyper-specialize. Say, in health potions only. I wouldn't complain if I receive an ability such as that, tuned to this innovative branch I'm working in."

Zoey snorted at the phrasing. "Innovative

"Mind?"

"That your class is bending around me. Wasn't sure if you'd want that. Long term, at least. Your class is for life." She shrugged. "I doubt this was what you had in mind your specialty would be, say, a year ago."

"Perhaps not," Sabina agreed. "But in any case, those two skills will always be useful. I've always been interested in rare reagents, unique recipes, cutting edge research. Formulaic alchemy is far less intriguing."

The conversation lulled there, the two of them enjoying skin contact as they lay on the—admittedly sticky, cum-covered—altar.

"Not to put you on the spot," Zoey said. "But what are we, anyway?" She coughed. "I just feel like we should talk about that."

Sabina, having been resting her eyes, opened them and turned to face her. Like usual, the stoic woman wasn't caught off guard by the question. "Alchemist and apprentice, for one," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Or do you mean from a more personal perspective?"

That had been the implication, yeah. Zoey nodded.

Sabina looked up at the ceiling and mulled the question over.

"First and foremost, I'm married to my work. I've never had a girlfriend, nor do I have much desire to have one, to be frank." She faced Zoey again, studying her to see how she would take those words.

But Zoey wasn't offended; her relationship with Sabina had never felt like Rosalie's or Delta's. She was extremely fond of her, but … it was different. That'd been why she'd asked the question, to make sure they were on the same page.

And, honestly, she had known from minute one that nothing would take first place over Sabina's love for alchemy. It was her defining characteristic. Even strangers could discover that in a few minutes of conversation with the woman.

"I am quite fond of you, however," Sabina said, seeming pleased that she didn't find any negative reaction on Zoey's face. "I enjoy having a … special student. Very much so."

Zoey laughed. She squeezed Sabina in, pressing the woman's soft curves into her.

"And I enjoy having a special teacher," she teased. "She's amazingly hands-on."

***

The rest of the day continued as usual, though Zoey had to stagger out of the temple, drained in a way she might never have been before. Sabina's selection of magical concoctions had done a number on her, in the best way possible. Though she didn't necessarily want all of their encounters to be that … intense, going forward. Better saved for special events.

Next morning, a messenger found Zoey in the training facility working on spellcraft with Maddy. His announcement was simple: Fe's timeline had been accurate, and she'd arrived safely in Mantle.

So, collecting her team—including Astrid—they went to greet the sheepgirl, their team's new dedicated identifier and artificer.