The day didn't start with her. It started with noise — raised voices outside the inn before the sun was fully up. Two merchants were arguing in the street, and from the fragments I caught, it was over a shipment that had gone missing overnight.
By the time I reached the market, the news had spread: a wagon carrying high-value goods had been broken into on the south road. The whispers said it belonged to the merchant woman.
I found her at her shop, the door locked but her voice audible through the wood — low, clipped, and furious. When she opened it, her eyes were hard.
"You came quickly," she said.
"I heard."
She stepped aside to let me in. "Half my shipment is gone. The guild will treat it as carelessness unless I can prove otherwise."
[Influence level with target: 78% → 80%.]
"What do you need?" I asked.
"A witness," she said. "Someone who can vouch for where the goods were last seen, someone not tied to my name."
I didn't need to think about it. "Then you have one."
Her expression softened a fraction. "You'd put yourself between me and the guild's judgment?"
"I said I'd be useful," I replied.
We went together to the guild hall, where the same man she'd argued with weeks ago was already making noise about her "lapses in oversight." I stayed quiet until the moment mattered — then spoke clearly, detailing where I'd seen the wagon the day before, intact and locked, and how the theft could only have happened after it was in the guild's assigned lot.
It was enough. The murmurs shifted, and the heat turned toward the guild's own security.
When it was over, she led me back to her shop. No tea this time — she locked the door behind us and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
"You didn't have to do that," she said.
"I did," I said. "Because I don't like seeing someone competent blamed for another's mistake."
Her gaze stayed on mine. "You keep showing up where I need you."
[Influence level with target: 90%. Bond completion threshold approaching.]
She crossed the room in three measured steps, stopping close enough that I could smell the faint spice of the oil she favored.
"What is it you want, Jin?" she asked quietly.
I let the silence stretch just enough before I answered. "You."
She didn't flinch.
The kiss came sudden but inevitable—her lips pressing against mine with a restrained hunger that broke open quickly, her hands fisting in my shirt as she pulled me closer. "I've wanted this... for days," she murmured against my mouth, her voice breathy, tongue slipping in to tangle with mine in a slow, exploratory dance that deepened into urgency. Desire Touch ignited at the contact, warmth spreading through us, making her gasp softly, "Ah... what is that? It feels... so good."
I backed her toward the counter, my hands on her waist, lifting her onto it with ease, the wood creaking faintly under her weight. "Tell me what you need," I said, nipping at her neck, fingers working the ties of her dress, exposing the smooth skin of her shoulders and the curve of her breasts, pale and inviting in the dim light filtering through the shutters.
"More... touch me more," she moaned, arching as my mouth found her nipple, tongue swirling around the hardened peak while my hand kneaded the other, pinching gently. "Yes, like that... oh, Jin!" Desire Touch amplified the sensation, her body trembling, hips grinding against me instinctively as she wrapped her legs around my waist.
Her dress pooled around her waist, my fingers trailing down her stomach to her thighs, parting them gently. "You're so wet already," I whispered, slipping a hand between her legs, circling her clit slowly before dipping inside, curling to hit that spot deep within. She bucked, moaning louder, "Jin... deeper, please! It feels amazing..."
I pumped my fingers in rhythm, thumb pressing her nub, watching her face contort in pleasure—eyes fluttering, lips parted. "Come for me," I urged, and she did, crying out, "Ahh... yes! I'm coming... oh, don't stop!" her walls clenching around me in pulsing waves, her body shuddering as the first orgasm washed over her, leaving her breathless, flushed.
But we weren't done—she pulled me closer, kissing me fiercely, her hands roaming my chest, tugging at my shirt. "I need you inside me... now," she panted, freeing my hardness, stroking firmly as she guided me to her. "Feel how ready I am?"
I thrust in slowly at first, savoring the tight warmth enveloping me inch by inch, her gasp filling the room—"Oh... so big... yes!" We paused, breaths syncing, her nails raking my back lightly as I began to move—deep, steady thrusts that built in intensity. "Harder... don't hold back," she gasped, meeting each plunge with her hips, whispering, "You feel so good... keep going!"
Desire Touch heightened everything, her moans growing—"Mmm... right there! Ah!"—until she shattered again, "Yes! Coming again... Jin!" her walls pulsing around me, pulling my release in hot waves as I spilled inside, groaning, "Take it... all of it."
We paused, breathless, but she shifted, pushing me back onto a nearby chair, straddling me with renewed hunger. "Not done yet... I want more," she moaned, sinking down onto me slowly, grinding in circles. "Feel that? How deep you are..."
"Yes... ride me," I said, hands on her hips, thrusting up to meet her. She bounced faster, breasts swaying, moaning, "Oh... yes! Harder... I'm close again!" We built to another peak, her climax crashing with a cry—"Ahh... coming! So good!"—milking me once more.
Still not sated, she led me to the floor, laying back and pulling me over her. "One more... please," she begged, legs spreading wide. I entered her again, pounding deeper, her moans incessant—"Jin... yes! Don't stop... ah!"—until she trembled, exhausted, her body quivering from the final orgasm. "I... can't... anymore," she panted, collapsing in bliss.
When the moment passed, she rested against me, her breathing steady but slower.
"You'll leave for the capital soon," she said.
"Yes."
"Then take this." She pressed a small, weighty object into my hand — a silver token marked with her personal seal. "Show it in the right place, and you'll have an ally before you say a word."
The system's voice cut through the quiet.
[Bond complete. Target loyalty: 100%.]
[Desire Points earned: +20. Cumulative total: 78.]
[System upgrade unlocked: Desire Tongue II — Increased persuasive effect, subtle suggestion now lingers in target's thoughts after conversation.]
That was the second conquest in this town. Two threads tied firmly before moving on.
That night, I didn't seek out the serving girl or the market. I stayed in my room, the silver token on the table, turning it over in the lamplight.
The capital was next, but I wouldn't arrive there as the man who'd stumbled into this world with nothing. I'd arrive with tools, connections, and the start of a reputation that could open doors before I touched them.