The(questionable) burdens of leadership of a troll Emperor by Noodlehammer

Chapter 29

Xanna's face was slick with sweat, her eyes drooping with exhaustion and her breathing a heavy pant.

To Naruto, she had never looked more beautiful. He'd never seen her sweat before and thought that the wet sheen on her flawless skin looked glorious.

"Love you." He murmured to her and gave her a gentle kiss.

She mumbled back something incoherent and seemed to be drifting off into sleep.

Naruto grinned and rolled her over into Akitsu, who had joined in on the fun a while ago. The horned woman pressed herself into the Ice Sekirei with as much enthusiasm as she could muster in her current state. The chilly flesh probably felt nice to her own overheated body.

There was still plenty of time to the bet, but Xanna wasn't up to anything more just now. He might have gotten a bit carried away in his eagerness and wore her out too fast. If he was lucky, she'd recover in time for another round.

But for now, it was time to pay a visit to a prisoner.

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The Keeper had awoken some time before Naruto decided to visit. She instantly recognized the Lantean design of her prison and knew that she must be in their city. Whoever her captors were, they must have raised it from the sea and taken it for themselves.

Of course, the possibility existed that it was the Lanteans themselves who had returned, but she doubted it. Their old enemies had been formidable because of their technology, other than that they had been weak. This new enemy had proven themselves capable of viciousness, cunning and cruelty to match the Wraith.

All attempts to escape proved useless and the Keeper was left with nothing to do but wait. Hunger started gnawing at her shortly after her awakening. She hadn't gotten to feed on any of the humans they'd taken.

Hours later, she finally heard someone approaching. If she was fortunate, it was a weak willed human that she would be able to use to escape.

It wasn't. The towering horned man was like nothing she'd ever seen before. His mind felt far more powerful than even the greatest Queens of the Wraith and the only emotions she could detect were curiousity and amusement. It was intimidating and made her wary.

"Hi there, La Blue Girl." She had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but the sense of amusement increased.

"Nothing to say?" He inquired, brazenly stepping into the holding cell with her. His bared chest felt like a taunt to the hungry Keeper, but she held back. It hadn't escaped her attention that he had stepped through the force field keeping her in the cell.

"How disappointing, Reiko tells me that you wouldn't shut up." He continued, stepping closer.

The Keeper couldn't take it anymore. He was in arms reach and the hunger burned stronger than ever. Her right hand lashed out to clamp itself to his chest.

He caught it an inch away from his skin, gripping her wrist with the firmness of a immovable mountain.

"That wasn't very nice." He chided, as if scolding an unruly child.

The Keeper hissed in frustration, trying to push her hand forward to close that last bit of distance, only to discover that it was useless.

"Are you going to say something if I let you have a snack?" He murmured.

To her shock, he let go of her wrist and allowed her to begin feeding. She was overwhelmed instantly. Her eyes rolled back into her head as strength like nothing she'd ever imagined could exist flooded into her. Human, Lantean, Wraith, she'd fed from all of these and none of them had even the barest flicker of this vitality.