It took Sabrina and Shila three hours to return.
Three whole hours. Were they not supposed to report to Angus as a team, Greem might have long left with the girl currently snuggled up against him.
The feminine duo looked like they'd been put through the wringer.
Since they chose the farthest mission location, they went deeper into the Underground world. Due to the numerous intense battles that raged above them, a lot of the passages on their route collapsed.
It was only Sabrina's partly mechanical physiology and spells that allowed them to weather the literal storm of rock and dirt and break through all the blockages to arrive safely.
Speaking of Sabrina, Greem had tuned out her update and was focusing on her still beautiful, but haggard appearance. The attraction was still there, but it was greatly reduced, nowhere near the uncontrollable levels he experienced when he first met her.
In fact, he could confidently say he felt more attracted to Mary now more than he did the mechanical apprentice. But he'd long learned not to put much stock when it came to his feelings. Those things were as fickle as the wind.
The hours-long coitus he had with the vampire definitely had a part to play in how he currently felt. As for whether it would wear off, a part of him hoped it wouldn't. Not for him and not for Mary.
In the real world where no one could perceive his thoughts, he nudged the vampire awake as the others sulked in the assumed loss of the last team. He was just about to ask if they could get moving when a bloodied figure shot out of one the tunnels.
The figure's robe was torn in many places, dark smoke rising from the many, black wounds that dotted his body. Worst of these was the one on his face.
An acid attack, most likely, had eaten the skin off half his head, the low sizzle of his flesh audible to Greem's sensitive ears.
Had this individual not let loose ripples of his unique spiritual signature, everyone there might have attacked him.
The figure, whom everyone identified as Leo, the Pseudo Adept who provoked Black-hand, ignored every offer of help and found himself a corner to treat his wounds.
About five minutes later, he returned and joined the group, his surface level wounds mostly patched up.
His gloomy expression worsened as he answered the burning questions of his team members and recounted the events that led up to his partner's demise and his deplorable state.
When the listening apprentices heard that three Pseudo Adepts and one Advanced Apprentice attacked his group, they each wondered how they'd fare in that situation, if they'd survive the malicious attacks and relentless pursuit of such powerful individuals.
Even Sabrina doubted her chances.
Shifting her gaze from the sulking Pseudo Adept, the mechanical beauty focused on the unusual pair of Greem and Mary. "What about you guys? How strong were the enemies you encountered?"
Mary, sharing Greem's desire to vacate this place, did the talking this time.
"It was one Pseudo Adept and one Advanced Apprentice. We trapped the Pseudo Adept in a cavern and finished off the Advanced girl. When the Pseudo Adept broke through the cave-in, we ambushed and killed him too."
Hearing Mary's description of events, everyone, even Marcus and the three who already knew about the heads, looked at the couple in a new light.
They had no issues with Mary choosing this job. Her path and abilities were tailor made for underground exploration. It was Greem that they focused on, reevaluating their assumptions about him and Body-Refiners in general.
Maybe he was a cream of the crop talent, or maybe he possessed a special ability that also made him suited for this kind of work.
Ignoring the scanning and contemplating gazes, Greem fixed Sabrina a stare and asked, "So? Are we leaving?"
The mechanical apprentice nodded after taking a short moment to think. Though one of them had died, they'd successfully completed all the missions and even obtained valuable intelligence on the enemy.
It was time to leave and hand everything over.
With no fanfare, the group of nine returned to the surface and beelined to Adept Angus's tower.
Sabrina passed on to him the information on the hostile apprentices and the gathered rune crystals while Greem and Mary presented the gathered mushrooms and heads as their joint effort.
The rewards for the latter items were received by just the two of them, none of the other team members were present. Adept Angus allowed both them to ask for one magical item, resources, or knowledge… within reason.
After getting whatever they both wanted, Greem and Mary rejoined their team and made to leave. Right before they did though, Angus left them with these words:
"Don't let this successful trip fool you into thinking you're veterans. When you go back for your next mission, you'll be met with more difficulty. The enemies will be more vicious and they'll attack you more frequently.
Only the cautious and prepared will return in one piece. You better take advantage of the coming days, else you won't be so lucky next time.
Good job on the intelligence you brought back. I'll pass them to the hunting team. The bastards who attacked you will not have a peaceful time returning to their holes. Hehehehe…"
Varying levels of glee could be seen on everyone's face at the last part. But none could match Leo's.
When he imagined his attackers and pursuers experiencing exactly what he went through, a savage smile emerged on his half-eaten face.
☀☀☀
Mission rewards were tied to the risks accompanying the completion of said mission.
Greem and Mary chose the easiest one, the site closest to the surface, so the reward they got for that was lower compared to everyone else's. The special reward they got from Angus however, more than made up for this.
Immediately after they returned to their places of residence, Mary joined Greem in his own, a thousand thoughts running through her mind.
What she and Greem… did, in the Underground world… were they going to talk about it? Were they a couple now? Was Greem going to propose to her?
The young vampire's face burned so hot it was a miracle she wasn't visibly steaming.
A slam jolted her back to reality, and she found herself sitting on Greem's bed as he shut and locked his door. Her mind immediately jumped to some amorous images, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.
'No! If he wants to do it again he has to propose. If he doesn't, I'll beat him up after I advance…'
"Come on. Let me see it," Greem sat right next to her and started to unload his new haul onto the bed. He tapped his storage belt repeatedly, something new appearing in his hand each time.
With her sharp sense of smell and eyesight, Mary found herself doubting her own resolve as Greem's delicious scent washed over her in waves, the blood vessels in his neck pulsing with his little movements.
For once she was glad Greem wasn't looking at her. It gave her enough time to gather her wits and empty her own storage belt, finding the task tedious but distracting.
After she spread everything out, she grabbed a silver bracer with golden edges and passed it to Greem, who was now on his feet.
He grabbed the piece of armor designed for someone of his stature, looked it over and handed it back to her.
"Physique type equipment. I honestly thought you'd go for Agility."
Mary shook her head and took back her hard-earned reward.
"I thought the same too at first, that's why I bought that dagger back in the swamp. But the fight with the Advanced girl showed me that my defense is lacking. Her plant whips and acid attacks ate through most of my body before she died. If a single one of them had reached my heart core, I might've died or dropped a level."
Greem shifted his gaze to the vampire's chest at the mention of a core and nodded. "I'm glad you're thinking of your safety. Not only will you be harder to hurt now, you will also heal faster and consume less blood doing so. Smart choice."
Irritated at how her insides fluttered and did backflips at the praise, Mary scowled—or at least tried to—and asked him to show her the reward he asked for.
She knew it was an Agility type, seeing as how patching that weakness meant so much to him.
It was a belt, a Hasten Belt to be precise, one that gave its user a +3 in the Agility attribute. If Greem added it and the mantle he looted from his opponent to his arsenal, his Agility would land firmly in the Pseudo Adept realm.
He'd no longer need that spell he used the first time he beat her.
Looking at the handsome giant smiling at her while holding a flowing, indigo cape, she wondered if the advancement she was about to make to Pseudo Adept would change anything.
After all, she'd lost her one advantage of Agility with this.
Add to that the kind of damage Greem could do with his fists, her pitiful Physique would not last ten blows under a sustained assault. Even her insane regeneration wouldn't save her.
A pair of large arms wrapped around the conflicted vampire and broke her out of her insecure thoughts. They pulled her forward and pressed her against their owner, Greem, who gazed down at her with a look that suggested he knew exactly what she was thinking.
Gently and carefully, he leaned down and locked lips with her, both of them closing their eyes to savor the moment.
This kiss was unlike the raw and heated exchanges in the Underground world. It was calm and controlled, conveying a message of something closer to love, not pure, all-consuming lust.
When they separated a minute later, breaths even and lips slightly swollen, only Mary was a little flushed. This grew into a full blown reddening at Greem's following words.
"I know how much you dislike being weak and being ordered around… and I perfectly understand. I promise that if you stick with me and become mine, no one will ever trample on your will again. Not even me. So, will you be my girlfriend?"
Mary had turned into a full-blown tomato, the warmth of her body at all time high. She wanted to run away and hide. Not only had Greem proposed to her like she fleetingly thought, he had also touched on her insecurities.
With the former she had wanted him to, but damn it! Why did he have to hold her so tightly and look at her that way? And why did it make her forget her desire to not be a slave to anyone?
Why did that desire seem less important compared to this… thing between them?
She already knew the answer, and it was simple; because it was. Greem coming into her life was the best thing that happened to her.
He had sped up her progression by leaps and bounds.
He had influenced the way she thought about herself and combat in general, blooming in her a solid interest in weapons and a drive to polish strengths and patch up vulnerabilities the old her would've definitely ignored.
When she thought about it, removing Greem entirely from the equation of her life would mean she wouldn't even be alive.
And even if she'd somehow survived the excruciating transformation into a vampire on her own, she'd currently be at Intermediate still wearing that stupid red dress.
God she was so stupid!
The only reason she avoided all that trouble and misfortune was because of the man holding her. Because he'd been kind when she needed it and stern … when she also needed it.
If all of this told her anything, it was that remaining close to the handsome hunk and listening to his commands—as much as it rankled a part of her—was the wisest decision she could ever make.
Plus, doing so would net her an all you can eat buffet to that sweet, sweet blood flowing in his veins.
Informed and settled on a decision, the excited vampire heeded the butterflies in her stomach and let her actions do the talking.
She jumped and wrapped her limbs around him–arms around his neck and legs around his waist—and smashed her lips into his.