The air was thick with the scent of wet stone, sulfur, and the unspoken agreement that 'no one' would ever speak of the "cockhead incident" ever again.

Or at least, Kaida wouldn't.

She sat cross-legged on the cold floor, her arms folded tightly over her chest, glaring daggers at Viktor.

Viktor, for his part, looked ridiculous.

He sat opposite her, also naked, but with a strip of torn fabric from his own ruined shirt tied firmly around his eyes.

"Are you done staring?" he asked, his head tilted slightly.

"I'm not staring," Kaida lied, her eyes tracing the lines of his body.

He wasn't like the warriors she was used to. The men in her family were granite—hard lines, veins like ropes, skin weathered by sun and scars. Viktor was... different. His skin was unblemished, almost infuriatingly smooth for a man.

There was a softness to him—not fat, exactly, but a layer of healthy, well-fed flesh that spoke of noble dinners and soft beds rather than training grounds.

Yet underneath that "chubby" softness, the muscle was there. It wasn't the showy, dehydrated muscle of a gladiator, but the dense, functional power of a bear. His shoulders were broad, his thighs thick.

"You look soft," she blurted out.

Viktor sighed, adjusting his blindfold. "I'm built for comfort 'and' speed. It's called versatility."

"It's called being a pampered noble," she muttered, though her gaze lingered a little too long on the way his chest hair trailed down his stomach.

"We can't stay here forever, you know," Viktor said, cutting through her inspection. "The air is getting thin."

Kaida stiffened. He was right. The heat from the geothermal vent was keeping them alive, but the oxygen in this pocket wouldn't last.

"So what's your brilliant plan, 'Sir' Viktor?" she asked, emphasizing the title with a sneer. "Going to poke the wall with your 'other' sword and hope a door opens?"

Viktor ignored the jab. He stood up slowly, the motion surprisingly graceful for a blindfolded man.

"I'm going for a swim."

"What?" Bella squeaked from her corner.

"The water," Viktor pointed vaguely in the direction of the underground lake. "There's a current. Faint, but it's there. If water is flowing out, there's a path."

He reached up and untied the blindfold, letting the cloth drop to the damp floor. He blinked, his dark eyes adjusting to the dim light, and immediately focused on the water—pointedly ignoring the two naked women staring at him.

"Wait," Kaida stood up too, forgetting to cover herself for a split second before quickly crossing her arms again. "You're just going to jump in? What if there's something in there?"

"Then I'll ask it for directions," Viktor said dryly. He walked to the edge of the dark water, his toes curling over the precipice. "Stay here. If I'm not back in ten minutes... well, wait another ten minutes then."

"Where are you actually going?" Kaida stepped forward, frustration bubbling up. "Don't give me that 'finding a path' crap. You sensed something, didn't you?"

Viktor turned his head slightly, giving her a side-eye that was equal parts annoyance and amusement.

"I'm just looking for a way out, Kaida. Don't overthink it."

And with that, he hopped forward.

SPLASH.

He didn't just jump; he launched himself like a human torpedo.

Kaida and Bella rushed to the edge, peering into the murky depths.

"He moves... fast," Bella whispered, her tail twitching nervously.

Kaida squinted. "He moves like an arrow."

She wasn't wrong. Viktor was cutting through the water with unnatural speed, a V-shaped wake trailing behind him as he shot toward the center of the lake.

He wasn't swimming so much as 'propelling' himself, his body cutting through the liquid darkness.

'A-arrow...' Bella's eyes flickered and blinked before the arrow-shaped object going in and out of Mira flashed across her mind as she pursed her lips to act normal.

The silence stretched for another awkward moment before Bella's small voice broke through.

"U-Um... Miss Kaida?" The cat-girl was huddled in the corner, her golden eyes downcast, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. "Should we... should we put our clothes back on? They're almost dry now."

Kaida blinked, then looked down at herself—still completely naked, still sitting with her arms crossed over her chest. Her face flushed slightly.

"Right. Yes. Good idea."

She stood up carefully, her legs still shaky from the ordeal, and walked over to where their clothes had been laid out near the geothermal vent.

The heat had done its job—the fabric was warm to the touch, mostly dry except for a few damp patches.

Bella followed hesitantly, her small frame trembling slightly as she reached for her own clothes.

Her silver hair was still wet, plastered to her back and shoulders, and her cat ears twitched nervously as she glanced toward Kaida, who suddenly approached Bella's dress.

Kaida picked up what looked like a simple dress—rough fabric, clearly handmade, but surprisingly well-stitched.

She held it up, examining a cutout through which her eyes could clearly see the place the cutout was present; it made her mouth twitch.

Then she turned, looking toward the tail behind Bella, making her realize she was just paranoid—her sister could never be that perverted.

"Bella," she said slowly, her tone curious rather than accusatory this time as doubt still lingered. "Is this really... did Mira stitch this for you?"

Beneath the surface, Viktor was in his element.

The water was freezing, shocking his system, but his water spirit flared instinctively, wrapping him in a thin, warm film. He dove deeper, his eyes scanning the gloom.

'There.'

He'd felt it earlier—a subtle vibration in the water spirit currents.

At the bottom of the lake, half-buried in silt, was a mechanism. A massive stone seal, etched with ancient runes that glowed faintly blue.

'Found you,' Viktor thought.

He didn't hesitate. He reached out, his fingers brushing the runes.

'CLICK.'

It wasn't a door.

It was a drain.

A massive, swirling vortex opened up beneath him as the seal retracted. The water around him instantly turned violent, sucking down into the depths with the force of a collapsing star.

'Oh, shit.'

Above the surface,

Bella's ears flattened against her skull as she looked up, her golden eyes wide and uncertain. She nodded meekly, her fingers clutching her own clothing—a similar dress, though slightly smaller at chest area.

"Y-Yes, Miss Kaida," Bella whispered. Her small hands ran over the fabric, feeling the cleanliness of it, the surprising softness despite the coarse material. "She... she gave it to me when I arrived. Said I needed something proper to wear."

Kaida's expression softened slightly. She ran her thumb over the stitching again—neat, even, clearly done with care.

It was a mixed top and skirt with an inbuilt undergarment designed to cover the lower region beneath the skirt but with a hole.

"It's well-made," she admitted quietly.

Then, louder, almost to herself to make believe that it was not what she was thinking: "Mira's more skilled than I thought."

Kaida glanced at Bella properly then, really taking her in for the first time since the chaos.

The cat-girl's skin was spotless, smooth like polished marble, soft in a way that begged to be touched—no scars, no calluses from endless training.

She had a couple inches on Kaida too, that lithe height making her look almost elegant despite the shivering.

If not for being there and conscious of her dress style, Kaida would have forgotten that Bella was taller than her.

Silver hair cascading wet down her back, those deep golden-yellow eyes that caught the dim light like hidden treasure.

And her tits—delicate handfuls, perky and perfect for jumping, dodging, pure agility.

Nothing like Kaida's heavier pair that always got in the way during a sprint.

'Tch... am I really getting envious now?'

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