Taboo Online

Luke’s excitement lasted until he felt Lauren’s fingers trembling against his belt.

The system had restored their health, stamina, and mana after the flock died. The cuts across his shoulder and back had closed, and the exhaustion in his muscles was gone, but Lauren was still struggling with the pressure left behind by her visions. Her breathing remained uneven, and the violet lines across her blindfold flickered instead of holding their usual steady glow.

Every few steps, one of Lauren’s heels slipped in the mud, forcing Luke to slow down and steady her. She kept her chin raised and tried to walk normally, but her hand would not stop trembling. At one point, she tried to curl her fingers into a fist. The effort only made the shaking more obvious, so Luke tightened his arm around her without commenting.

He lowered his spear and slipped his free arm around her waist. Lauren tried to straighten, probably intending to prove she could walk without help, but she leaned against him again after only two steps.

The Black Rain hammered the forest around them. Any question Luke asked would disappear beneath the endless roar, so he tightened his hold and guided her forward. Lauren usually argued whenever he fussed over her, and the fact that she let him carry most of her weight made him move faster.

They passed between twisted trunks and exposed roots while Luke searched for shelter. Dark water streamed down his face, soaked through his clothes, and gathered around his boots. Lauren’s long black hair had grown heavy with rain, trailing down her back and sticking to every part of her body it touched.

A dark opening beneath a nearby tree caught Luke’s attention.

From a distance, it looked like a narrow crack between several enormous roots. As they approached, the space began to look far too neat to have formed naturally.

Black water covered almost every inch of the forest floor, but it stopped several feet away from the hollow in a smooth curve. No ridge blocked it, and the ground did not rise enough to divert the flow. Rain struck the invisible boundary, gathered into thick beads, and slid sideways instead of crossing it.

No liquid birds formed nearby either.

Luke slowed and squeezed Lauren’s hand. When she turned toward him, he pointed at the hollow.

The roots arched over the entrance like crooked ribs. Several thicker ones curved down the sides, making the shelter look uncomfortably similar to a waiting mouth. Luke tried to push the image aside, though the roots still resembled teeth far more than he liked.

Lauren leaned toward the hollow, and the glow across her blindfold brightened as she activated Unveiled Weakness. Almost immediately, her fingers dug into Luke’s arm.

He caught her before her knees gave out. Faint pale lines flickered across the roots and soil, but they were too scattered for him to understand. Lauren released the skill, and the symbols across her blindfold dimmed again.

Luke shook his head and pressed two fingers against her wrist, telling her not to try again. Her lips tightened, but she did not argue.

After helping her brace herself against the tree, Luke approached the hollow alone. Nothing inside appeared to be moving, which left Truth Behind Motion with nothing to read. The roots stayed still, but that proved very little.

Luke extended his spear and pushed the blade through the invisible boundary. Rainwater slid from the metal before it crossed, leaving the spearhead strangely dry. When nothing reacted, he scraped the point across the soil, struck one of the roots, and waited.

The hollow remained quiet. No movement answered from beneath the roots or soil.

He tested it twice more before stepping inside. Thick roots formed a low ceiling while packed earth enclosed the space on three sides. The soil beneath his boots felt slightly warm, but it stayed solid when he pressed the base of his spear into it.

The shelter was large enough for both of them, and the roar of the rain weakened as soon as he crossed the boundary. Luke still did not trust it, but Lauren needed somewhere to recover.

He returned to her and slid one arm behind her back. This time, he took almost all her weight before guiding her through the entrance.

The storm faded into a heavy, distant drumming around them. Rain continued pouring beyond the roots, yet not a single drop entered the hollow. Without the storm covering it, Luke could finally hear how rough Lauren’s breathing had become.

"Sit down," he said.

"I can stand."

"You’re leaning against me."

"That doesn’t mean I can’t stand."

"You nearly fell when you used Unveiled Weakness."

"I was testing the shelter."

"And now you’re done testing it."

Lauren turned her blindfolded face toward him. "You’ve become very commanding."

"Sit down and rest."

A faint smile touched her lips. "All right. I’ll obey my caring boyfriend."

Warmth spread across Luke’s face, but he kept his arm around her until she was safely seated. The earthen wall behind her was rough, so he moved several wet strands of hair aside before they became trapped between her back and the soil.

Every time he cleared one strand away, another remained stuck to her chest or stomach. Several had slipped into the deep opening of her suit and disappeared between the heavy curves pressed together by narrow strips of glossy fabric.

Luke carefully pulled one free, and his fingertips brushed the upper curve of her breast. Lauren’s lips moved slightly, but Luke pretended not to notice.

The Black Rain had plastered Yvonne’s costume against her body. Its glossy surface already followed every curve, but the soaked material now looked almost painted onto her skin.

The high collar and long sleeves did nothing to make the outfit modest when the front plunged almost to her stomach. Water gathered between her breasts and trickled down the exposed skin before disappearing beneath the tight fabric around her waist.

Lower down, the suit climbed high over her hips and left most of her upper thighs bare. Thin black straps framed her pale skin before connecting to her thigh-high heeled boots, and each one had darkened beneath the rain.

Luke knew every shameless detail of the costume by now, but the soaked fabric kept dragging his attention back. When Lauren shifted against the wall, the material pulled tighter across her chest and stomach. Luke followed the movement before remembering that he was supposed to be checking whether she was hurt.

"Does anything still hurt?" he asked.

"My head."

"How badly?"

"Not as badly as it would outside Powerforge."

"That isn’t an answer."

Lauren sighed. "Unveiled Weakness isn’t too bad by itself, and Oracle’s Glimpse is easier here than in the real world. Using both at once is harder, especially when I send what I see to you."

Luke crouched in front of her. "Then stop combining them when you’re already exhausted."

"The birds would have reached us."

"They didn’t."

"Because I showed you the knots."

"And now the flock is dead, so you can rest."

Lauren reached for his face. Her fingers brushed his jaw before settling against his cheek.

"You fought well."