"Again. Deeper."
"Stop… I can't take it anymore."
"Again."
Ria groans. Her legs feel numb.
She bent her knees and her legs upwards as hard as she could. Her thigh muscles burned. By a miracle, she was able to straighten her legs and complete her squat.
"Good."
Ria collapsed onto the ground out of exhaustion.
Hikari continued her reps, doing dozens of squat presses with her half ton claymore within a minute.
Then she held her claymore in one hand and did bicep curls with it. A minute of curling before switching hands. And then back to squat presses.
Then she gulped down her steel tankard full of fresh water, a volume probably twice Ria's body weight.
"Now, as promised. I'll drink this." Ria watched as Hikari grabbed the tank of protein shake. She saw her throat move as the thick mixture was squeezed downwards into her bulging torso. Her shirt which was fresh just in the morning was soaked through with sweat, making it stick closely to her body, adhering to the contours of her muscles.
She flexed a bit playfully, making it seem as though the protein shake was making her bulk.
Ria was at a loss for words at the mass of pure muscle towering over her. She felt so tiny. So insignificant before her. Just her pinky finger could easily over power her.
"Finish yours."
"Yes.. Hikari.. " She crawled to her tea cup, barely gripping the handle with her trembling fingers and finished the last bit of protein shake.
"There's still a bit left" Hikari teased.
Ria was torn. It really turns her on to see Hikari bulging with the protein shake. But on the other hand, she could no longer withstand Hikari's brutal workout pace.
"Hmm.." Hikari thought for a bit, realizing that she has truly pushed Ria to her limits.
She shrugged and just stood over Ria, her feet on either side of her. Her gym socks made a squishing sound as they landed on the stone ground.
Ria gagged and choked at the overwhelming stench.
"Get used to it. Gunpowder smells worse."
"Yes…. nnngggmmmmm! … " Ria took shallow breaths through her mouth. She felt dizzy. But she stayed conscious.
"You're a knight too aren't you? Surely you can stand the smell of gym socks. You're not that pathetic are you?"
Ria fell to the ground. She had blanked out for a brief moment. When she came to, her cheek was pressed against the ground. She could feel droplets of sweat landing on her back and splashing around her. She was indeed getting completely overpowered by just Hikari's sweat.
"Stand up."
The command echoed in her head. But her body would not budge.
After trying fruitless for a minute, she felt a warm energy flowing into her from her back.
She got up. She found herself between Hikari's legs. As the latter bent forward to touch her toes, she was knocked to the ground again.
"Stretch."
Ria followed her motions.
"More."
With a delicate touch, Hikari nudged her just a tiny bit forward for her to feel the pull in her legs.
Ria felt better now. She was able to stand up without much difficulty. Hikari finished up the rest of the shake, telekinetically pulling the layer sticking to the walls of her cup into her mouth.
"Get stronger."
Ria nods. "Yes… mistress Hikari…"
"Oh?"
"Oh I mean, drill mistress Hikari. Feminine term for the drill master. That seems like an appropriate title given how I have been receiving more training from you than the drill master himself."
"Hmm.. Too long. Hikari will do."
"That's fine too."
"Let's wash up."
Ria followed Hikari to the wash area which was right beside the exercise mat. Hikari scoped Ria up and placed her in the wash basin. Then she did her circus shower routine act which did impress Ria who was seeing it for the first time.
But this time, she had soap. Even if it's the cheapest, most mass produced ones on the market which gave off a funny smell.
Ria felt a little itchy after the wash. Her delicate skin was just not used to it. But she didn't mind since she actually was starting to like being in Hikari's company.
Hikari dried herself with a square towel piece. Then she made her way across the room to her wardrobe.
Fresh stacks of cotton sheets, their weaving enchantments still at full potency. But curiously, there were black sheets at one side made of a material that was unfamiliar to her.
"Black spider silk. Many times more elastic than cotton. In spite of being so sturdy, its smooth texture still gives off the aura of elegance."
Hikari picked up one of the pieces and studied it. It wasn't a neat square piece. In fact, all of the pieces were funnily shaped.
"It's flammable. It lacks defense." Hikari complained.
"Of course, It's not a suit of armour. It's meant to make yourself appear more appealing to others. Perhaps a potential partner? "
Ria got a confused look from Hikari in response. Nevertheless, she began attempting to assemble the pieces onto herself. For this dress, the weavers had made sure that mismatching runes would not tangle with each other. And for good reason, the curvy shapes would not fit at all if the wearer did not put each piece exactly where it was intended.
"I forgot to mention just now. There's a major event that I'll be attending tonight. And I want you to escort me."
Hikari was still fumbling with the outfit. She managed to piece together a continuous block, but was struggling to figure out where it was supposed to fit.
"It's mainly for me though. Knights, merchants, investors, bureaucrats, generals would all be in attendance. A bit of wine would make their tongues looser than usual. This is how I gain an understanding of the outside world by listening in on their drunken conversations. Perhaps you should try it too, I'm sure your hearing is many times better than mine."
"Done."
Hikari finishes assembling her dress. She turns to Ria, putting her hands on her hips with a satisfied grin.
Ria was speechless. Hikari was in her mind, an impenetrable wall of steel. She had almost forgotten just how stunningly beautiful she actually was.
Her perfect figure. Her immaculate skin. Her cold countenance.
Unlike her. Frail, skinny, pale and insignificant.
"Down… Down.." The voice echoed in her head again. Ria shakes her head and slapped her cheeks with both hands.
"Ria, there's holes everywhere."
Hikari tucks uncomfortably at her chest piece as it left her cleavage exposed. Ria briefly tried to feel for her own cleavage. Her whole blossoms probably weren't even the size of one of Hikari's nipples.
"Oh, that's not a mistake. Like I said, this outfit is mainly for visuals. Especially your chest part. That really helps to attract or distract men depending on what you're trying to accomplish."
Still, out of habit, Hikari folds her arms, covering her exposed elbows with her hands and pushing her chest upwards to reduce the exposure of her cleavage.
"We're not done yet. There's still the jewellery."
Hikari turned and saw a neat layout of several pieces of blood crystals embedded in silver.
"A thorny rose. Blood in the night. Silver glittering in the moonlight. The bane of all evils cowering in the dark. After reading the report on the capture of the cultist holdout, I think this is an appropriate theme for your debut appearance in high society."
Hikari blinks at her for a moment. She gently placed one at the back of her hand. Its silver chain automatically wraps itself around her hand, the two ends meeting at the center of her palm. The blood crystal glows in response to her mana.
She continued. A pair of rings, bracelets and a necklace. The largest crystal goes onto the top of her head as the silver ties her hair into a pony tail along with a pair of smaller ones for each of her side burns.
"Where do these two go?"
Ria swallowed. "Ummm… just above your ankles."
Hikari blinks at her.
"How would I wear my boots?"
"Oh it won't be the boots these time. Open the crate, I got another surprise for you."
It was a pair of platform heels. A thick layer of rubber at the bottom. A layer of steel shaped in a curved arch on top followed by another thinner layer of rubber to cushion the feet of the wear. The heel was a cylindrical steel core as thick as the support columns found in buildings with a layer of silver finish on the outside.
"What are these?"
"Shoes. Not your usual ones I'd imagine."
"For looks?"
"You're catching my drift quite well."
Hikari places the heels on the ground, producing a loud sound as the heavy steel knocks against the stone. She then rested one of her feet onto the rubber insole. The leather straps wrap themselves around her foot.
She then lifted her other foot and attempted to balance on that one shoe. The lack of surface area as compared to her boot and her arched foot was making her feel uncomfortable. Reluctantly she put the other one on as well.
Click! Clack! Click! Clack! The sharp sound of her steel heel core knocking against the stone ground.
Ba dum! Ba dum! Ria's heart pounded as the sound of Hikari's heels echoed in her head. Her legs gave way, she was on her knees again. The hypnotizing sound of the heels continued to echo.
Hikari paced back and forth in her new heels. She wanted to take them off as it was difficult to walk in them. And they are loud too which makes a stealth user rather uneasy. She walked back to Ria and gently stomped her foot in front of her in dissatisfaction.
A jolt came over Ria as her heels suddenly landed in front of her and smashed the stone ground. She pressed her face into the ground in front of Hikari's platform heel, just below her toes.
Hikari was a bit startled.
"Stand" she commanded but Ria stayed on the ground trembling.
A sudden surge of primal pleasure courses through her body. Despite being unwieldy, the extra height and the arching shape of her foot made Ria appear lower, smaller and more vulnerable.
She was starting to like it. She bent forward slightly to see Ria's head bowed just before her toeline and quietly savored the feeling.
Ria eventually came to. Hikari thought she looked really cute down there.
"I think these heels can block musket bullets."
"Oh… yes… of course. It's quite thick isn't it." Ria gradually stood up. Her fresh change of clothes was soaked through with sweat again.
"Luckily this won't be the outfit I'll be wearing later."
A voice came from outside. "My Lady! Your carriage is ready! We have to leave soon."
Ria caught a glimpse of Hikari's uncharacteristically mischievous smile.
"Let us go."
—- Hikari —-
Physique : 743 -> 756
Weight : 2200 -> 2255 (kg)
Platform high heels : height + 0.5 metres, martial proficiency ( - 20), firearms proficiency ( -20)
Blood crystals : mana + 20
Black spider silk dress : defense + 5, mana + 5
—- Ria —-
Physique : Physique : 6.5 -> 7.5