My Dungeon Daddy System: Raising Monsters and Waifus Underground-Chapter 46: ​ - 46 – The Withdrawal

Chapter 46: ​Chapter 46 – The Withdrawal
Riding a horse, a majestic, silver-barded warhorse, sounded romantic in theory. Wind in your hair. Thundering hooves. The call to adventure.
​In practice, it was just repeated, high-velocity crotch trauma.
​"Does this thing have suspension?!" Reed yelled over the wind.
​"He is a Destrier, not a sofa!" Kaelen shouted back. "Grip with your thighs, Avatar!"
​"I am! My thighs are burning!"
​Valor thundered down the forest road, his massive hooves tearing up clods of dirt. The trees were a blur of green and brown. The speed was terrifying. They were doing easily forty miles per hour, and every impact sent a shockwave up Reed’s spine.
​But the physical pain was manageable. The
other
pain was the problem.
​Reed checked his HUD. It was flickering.
​
[MANA: 112 / 150]
[Status: LEAKING.]
[Void Corruption: UNSTABLE.]
​The "Overcharge" he had stolen from the Death Knight was burning off faster than he calculated. The Void energy wasn’t meant to be stored in a human-shaped vessel. It was volatile. It was evaporating.
​And as the energy left him, the
Cold
moved in.
​It started in his fingertips. A numbness, like he had fallen asleep in the snow. Then it crept up his arms. His chest felt hollow.
​Reed shivered.
​It wasn’t a normal shiver. It was a violent, teeth-chattering spasm.
​He pressed his face into the fur of Kaelen’s cloak, trying to leach heat from her backplate.
​"You are shaking," Kaelen called out, not looking back. "Are you cold?"
​"Withdrawal," Reed chattered, his teeth clicking together. "The battery... it’s draining. The Void... it’s hungry."
​"Hold on," Kaelen ordered. "We are halfway there."
​"I’m trying."
​Reed squeezed his eyes shut. The image of the forest was greying out at the edges. The sounds of the hooves were becoming muffled, like he was underwater.
​
Cold. So cold.
​His grip on Kaelen’s waist loosened. His fingers, stiff and numb, slipped from the clasp of her belt.
​He slumped backward.
​"Avatar!" Kaelen barked.
​Reed didn’t answer. He was listing to the left, sliding off the slick silver armor of the horse’s rump.
​"Damn it," Kaelen hissed.
​She didn’t stop the horse. If she stopped, the skeletons would reach the bridge first.
​Instead, she released the reins with her left hand. She ripped off her gauntlet with her teeth, spitting the heavy steel glove onto the road.
​She reached back.
​Her hand warm, calloused, and glowing with faint white light grabbed Reed’s wrist just as he was about to fall.
​"Do not die on me, asset!" Kaelen yelled. "I did not ruin my career for a corpse!"
​She yanked him forward, slamming him back against her armor. She didn’t let go. She pressed her bare palm flat against the center of his chest, right over his heart.
​
[DETECTED: HOLY MANA SOURCE.]
[Action: EMERGENCY SIPHON?]
​Reed didn’t have to choose. His body reacted instinctively.
​The Void in his veins sensed the Light in hers. It lunged.
​
HISSSS.
​Steam erupted from beneath Kaelen’s hand.
​It wasn’t painful. It was
ecstatic
.
​It felt like pouring boiling water into a frozen cup. The Holy Light rushed into him, clashing with the Shadow, mixing, swirling, and detonating in a wave of pure, aggressive warmth.
​Reed gasped, his back arching. His violet eyes snapped open, blowing wide.
​"More," Reed groaned, his voice vibrating. "Don’t stop."
​"It burns," Kaelen hissed through clenched teeth.
​She could feel it. The Void inside him wasn’t just taking the mana; it was
sucking
it out of her. It felt like sticking her hand into a vacuum cleaner made of ice. It was draining her reserves, pulling at her very life force.
​But she didn’t let go.
​She poured the Light into him.
​"Stay awake!" she commanded, her voice trembling slightly. "Focus on the heat! Focus on the anger! I don’t care what you use, just stay with me!"
​Reed pressed his hands over hers, trapping her palm against his chest.
​The mixture of energies created a feedback loop. Violet shadow and White gold light leaked from their joined hands, trailing behind the horse like a comet’s tail.
​The numbness vanished. The grey vision cleared.
​Reed felt drunk. Drunk on Light. Drunk on her.
​He leaned forward, resting his chin on her armored shoulder, his mouth inches from her ear.
​"You taste like the sun," Reed whispered, his voice husky and dangerously stable. "Like burning lemons."
​"Shut up," Kaelen gasped, her face flushing bright red beneath her helmet. "You are delirious."
​"I’m refueling."
​He tightened his grip on her waist. This time, he didn’t just hold on; he
held
her. His hands slid around to her stomach, locking fingers. He pulled himself flush against her back, maximizing the contact.
​
[SYSTEM ALERT]
​
[Status: STABILIZED (TEMPORARY).]
​
[Mana Source: PALADIN BATTERY.]
​
[Note: This counts as ’Fraternization’ under Article 5. Keep doing it.]
​"We are close," Kaelen said, her voice breathless. She sounded drained. "I can smell the river."
​"I see smoke," Reed noted, his vision now sharper than ever.
​Through the trees, a plume of black smoke was rising.
​"The bridge," Kaelen cursed. "They aren’t just crossing it. They’re burning the toll booth."
​"Valor!" Kaelen shouted, kicking her heels again. "Run!"
​The horse sensed the urgency (or maybe just wanted to get away from the weird magic happening on his back). He surged forward.
​They burst out of the treeline.
​The River Gorge stretched out before them. A massive, stone-and-wood bridge spanned the churning white water below.
​And on the bridge, a sea of white bone was moving.
​"There," Reed pointed. "The army."
​"Five hundred," Kaelen estimated, pulling on the reins to slow the horse. "At least."
​Valor skidded to a halt on the cliff edge overlooking the bridge.
​Reed slid off the back of the horse. His legs felt like jelly, but he stood. He took a deep breath of the cold air. He looked at Kaelen.
​She was panting. She looked pale. She was massaging her left hand, which was red and steaming from where she had touched him.
​"You okay?" Reed asked.
​"I am... lightheaded," Kaelen admitted, leaning on the saddle horn. "You drink deep, Avatar."
​"Sorry."
​"Do not apologize," Kaelen said, donning her helmet and snapping the visor down to hide her face. "Just make it worth the mana cost."
​She drew her sword. The blade ignited with silver fire.
​"We have an army to stop," Kaelen declared.
​Reed grinned. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the
Spicy Purse
. He pulled out the
Void Shard
in the other hand.
​His eyes glowed violet.
​"Right," Reed said. "Let’s go violate some zoning laws."