Taula was in one of the Rivera City libraries alongside Mirela and Serra and the three girls were here for one very specific reason: to learn more about being "horny."

Mirela’s knowledge on the subject was pretty limited despite having read extensively in the Valakris Mansion library. Apparently, the noble family’s collection had focused more on etiquette, household management, and proper tea service protocols than... this particular topic so they’d come to the public library, because that was where knowledge was stored, right? And if you couldn’t find answers to your questions in a library, where else would you look?

The worker at the library... a middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back in a severe bun and reading glasses perched on her nose had offered to help after Taula’s rather loud and extremely direct inquiry about "what it means when a man has a sword in his crotch that gets bigger" had caused several nearby readers to choke violently on their tea and one elderly gentleman to drop his book entirely.

The librarian had turned an impressive shade of crimson with her face matching the color of the library’s curtains, before quickly ushering Taula toward the back sections of the building where fewer people might overhear.

She pulled a thick book from a shelf in the far corner, the section clearly marked "Health and Wellness - Restricted Access - Adults Only."

The woman handed it to Taula with trembling hands, as if the book itself might explode at any moment and Taula looked down at the leather-bound cover and read the embossed title aloud in her normal speaking voice.

"Sex Education?" Taula asked, genuinely curious about the unfamiliar term.

"Shh!" the woman hissed immediately, her blush somehow deepening even further until she looked like she might actually burst into flames from embarrassment.

She leaned in close, whispering urgently while her eyes darted around nervously to see if anyone else had heard.

"Please, please speak in whispers," the librarian begged, her voice barely audible. "That book contains everything you want to know about being... horny... and how to properly handle those feelings."

Her face was practically glowing red now, and small beads of sweat had formed on her forehead. Taula whispered back her thanks, keeping her voice appropriately low this time, and gave the flustered woman a friendly wave.

The librarian scurried away quickly, clearly eager to escape the mortifying situation and return to the safety of her desk where she dealt with normal book requests.

Taula returned to the table tucked in the corner where Mirela and Serra sat waiting, their heads already close together in conspiratorial anticipation.

"I’ve arrived," Taula whispered dramatically as she took her seat, sliding the forbidden tome onto the wooden table between them like it was contraband.

"Did you find it?" both girls whispered back in perfect unison, leaning forward eagerly with wide, curious eyes.

"Of course..." Taula said with confidence, showing them the cover before carefully placing it flat on the table’s surface.

All three girls huddled around the book like it contained the secrets of the universe itself which, in a way, it absolutely did.

Taula’s fingers trembled slightly with excitement as she cracked open the cover and began flipping through pages, looking for the most informative sections.

She stopped on a page in the middle section that seemed particularly relevant.

...

[The male reproductive organ, commonly referred to as the penis, serves dual biological functions: urination and reproduction. During sexual arousal, increased blood flow causes the organ to become erect and rigid, expanding significantly in both length and girth from its flaccid state. The average length varies significantly among individuals, typically ranging from four to six inches when fully erect, though variations outside this range are not uncommon.]

[The female reproductive organ consists of both external and internal structures. The vagina is a muscular canal approximately three to four inches in length that connects the external genitalia to the cervix and uterus. During sexual arousal, the vaginal walls produce natural lubrication and expand to accommodate penetration.]

[The act of sexual intercourse, also called copulation or mating, involves the insertion of the erect male organ into the vaginal canal, followed by rhythmic penetration that stimulates both partners. This friction creates pleasurable sensations for both individuals involved. When the male reaches orgasm, ejaculation occurs... the release of seminal fluid containing millions of sperm cells. If conditions are favorable and the female is in her fertile period, conception may occur when a sperm successfully fertilizes an egg, resulting in pregnancy.]

[Pregnancy typically lasts approximately nine months, or forty weeks, during which the fertilized egg develops into a fetus within the uterus. The process culminates in childbirth, bringing new life into the world through either vaginal delivery or surgical intervention known as cesarean section.]

...

Taula’s face flushed bright red as she processed the descriptions with her mind immediately and vividly connecting them to the memory of seeing Klaus’s impressive member that morning..

The book’s description of "four to seven inches" seemed like a significant underestimate based on what she’d witnessed.

She looked up from the page at Mirela and Serra, both of whom were also blushing furiously as they finished reading the detailed passage, their faces matching Taula’s crimson complexion.

"Do you think," Taula whispered very carefully. "Klaus will let us try it out if we ask nicely?"

All three girls’ faces turned an even deeper shade of red, the blush spreading down their necks.

They really wanted to know what it felt like as the curiosity was almost overwhelming.

Serra bit her lip nervously while Mirela’s hands fidgeted with the edge of the book’s page and Taula’s heart was racing so fast she could hear her own pulse in her ears.

Maybe if they approached it scientifically? As an educational experience? Would that make it less embarrassing to bring up?

Probably not, but they could hope.

...

"Huh?" Terrance thought, blinking rapidly as the Heavenly Commoner did not disappear. He wasn’t an illusion created by stress or fear... It was the real deal and he was currently standing on top of their crate, telling them to cut open their own stomachs with their mining tools.

Just for that little piece of silver Terrance had swallowed?

"If it was little," Klaus said coldly while his masked face tilted down toward them. "then you shouldn’t have eaten it in the first place."

The words made Terrance tremble. Could the Heavenly Commoner somehow read minds? How did he know exactly what Terrance had been thinking?

Klaus, on the other hand, couldn’t actually read minds. He could only estimate what people were thinking based on their facial expressions and body language and so far, his guesses seemed to be correct, given how violently the young miner was shaking.

’I can’t believe these fuckers are looking down on me...’ Klaus thought with cold anger. This was HIS wealth.

Wealth he had nearly died fighting Zephyra to obtain through the tournament. Why wouldn’t he keep a hawk’s eye view on every single piece of it?

And it wasn’t only this group of four that had been stealing. One other person in the larger crew had been swallowing silver too. A lot of it, actually.

’Why do these commoners think they’re entitled to my wealth? If they were serious about their lives and actually wanted money, they should have won the Tournament of Swords for themselves instead of stealing from someone who did.’

Klaus then repeated himself.

"Don’t let me repeat myself."

He started by pointing directly at Treth, the older man with the grey beard who’d been kind to Terrance.

"You," Klaus said. "You’ve been swallowing little chunks of silver from the very beginning."

The older man’s entire body began trembling as his weathered face went pale and Klaus then pointed at Joss who was the quiet one who’d been working steadily all day.

"And you’re even worse," Klaus continued. "You’ve been swallowing the most silver out of this entire group."

Terrance’s eyes widened in shock.

’He must be lying,’ Terrance thought desperately. ’I haven’t even seen Joss stop mining except for one short break! How the hell would he have time to swallow silver?’

But the look of guilty terror on Joss’s face told a different story as Klaus’s finger moved to point at Mira next.

"You," Klaus said with obvious disgust, "haven’t only been swallowing silver. You’ve been storing chunks of it in your breast area like the dumbass you are."

Terrance’s gaze automatically shifted to Mira’s chest and there... clearly visible now that Klaus had pointed it out were irregular bulges pushing against the fabric of her work shirt. The outline of multiple silver chunks pressing against her skin.

Finally, Klaus turned his masked face toward Terrance himself.

"Out of all of them," Klaus said. "you got the least amount so you’re barely worth the effort."

Then he raised his voice, addressing all forty miners present in the dungeon.

"I know one of the rest of you has been swallowing a whole lot of silver..." Klaus announced with his voice echoing off the cavern walls. "Bring it out now, or I will personally help you extract it."

He turned back to the four caught thieves.

"As for you four, cut your stomachs open now," Klaus ordered, "and give me my silver back."

Zephyra stood at the back of the crowd, watching the scene unfold and she was genuinely surprised.

’It really does happen like this?’ Zephyra thought. Eli had confirmed it but she hadn’t seen it happen before... though she already knew through her own senses which people in the crowd had swallowed silver.

If Klaus asked, she could simply cut their stomachs open for him with one clean strike.

’But I want to see how Klaus handles this himself...’ Zephyra decided, settling in to watch.

Slowly, all four of the accused miners raised their pickaxes with shaking hands, positioning the pointed ends against their own stomachs.

"Speed up the process, we don’t have time to waste." Klaus said impatiently as he made a quick gesture with his hand.

A projectile of manipulated metal shot forward with the sharp edge tearing through the front of Mira’s mining clothes from the side. The fabric split open, and the silver chunks she’d hidden against her chest came tumbling out, clattering to the ground in a small pile.

"Start cutting..." Klaus commanded and Joss moved first.

The quiet miner gritted his teeth, his hands shaking violently as he positioned the pickaxe point against his lower abdomen then he drove it in.

"Ghhh!" Joss groaned, the sound ripping from his throat as the metal pierced his flesh. Blood immediately began streaming down, soaking into his trousers and dripping onto the dungeon floor in thick droplets but he didn’t stop.

Joss pulled the pickaxe sideways with the sharp edge carving through skin and muscle making horrible wet sounds.

"AAAAHHHHH!" His scream echoed through the entire cavern as he forced the tool deeper cutting himself open. His intestines became visible through the widening gash, they were pink and glistening while pulsing with his rapid heartbeat.

Joss reached into his own opened stomach with one trembling hand and his fingers disappearing into the bloody mess then he pulled out three chunks of bloodied silver, each about the size of a large coin.

They clattered to the ground as Joss collapsed forward with blood spreading in a growing pool around his body.

Klaus looked down at the fallen miner, then shifted his gaze to the other three as Mira’s voice cracked as she spoke with tears streaming down her face.

"I-Isn’t he going to get any medical treatment?" Mira asked desperately. "He’s bleeding out!"

"He should have thought about getting treatment before he chose to steal," Klaus said with his voice completely devoid of sympathy. "Thieves don’t get medical treatment where I’m from, now continue with your own."

Joss, still conscious despite the massive blood loss, slowly pushed himself up to his knees with blood continuing gushing from his stomach wound, painting his entire lower body red.

With shaking hands, he reached for his low-quality storage ring and a healing potion materialized in his grip... a standard red vial that glowed faintly with restorative magic.

Joss uncorked it with his teeth and chugged the entire contents in desperate gulps.

The wound began closing immediately with flesh knitting back together with unnatural speed and within seconds, only a pink scar remained where the gaping wound had been.

The rest of the thieves’ eyes widened in horror as they processed what had just happened.

They hadn’t brought healing potions with them!

Joss immediately dropped to his knees in a full prostration with his forehead pressing against the blood-soaked ground.

"I apologize greatly!" Joss shouted. "It will never happen again! Please, I beg your forgiveness!"

"I’m not interested in your apologies," Klaus said flatly then another groan of agony sounded from the side.

Treth, the older man with the grey beard, had driven his pickaxe into his own stomach. His weathered, calloused hands... that were hands that had worked mines for over thirty years shook violently as he gripped the wooden handle as sweat poured down his face, mixing with the tears that streamed from his eyes.

"Forgive me," Treth whispered to no one in particular, perhaps to his family waiting at home, perhaps to the gods themselves then he pulled the pickaxe sideways with a horrible wet tearing sound.

The blade carved through his flesh like a butcher’s knife through meat as the skin split, muscle fibers tore and fat tissue separated in stringy chunks.

"Ghh... ghhaaahhh..." Treth’s groans started low and guttural, then rose into a full-throated scream as the agony overwhelmed his ability to stay quiet.

Blood didn’t just drip down... It poured as thick rivulets of crimson ran down his work trousers, soaking into the fabric and pooling on the dungeon floor beneath him.

The gash he’d created was deep and wide with the edges ragged from the crude tool. Through the opening, the pink-grey coils of his intestines were clearly visible, pressed against the opening but not spilling out... they were held in place by the membrane that still remained intact, though stretched dangerously thin.

The silver chunks he’d swallowed over the past hour and half of work tumbled out from the wound, bouncing across the stone with small metallic clinks.

Treth’s vision began darkening at the edges as shock and blood loss took their toll as his hands weakly tried to press against the wound, but he lacked the strength.

He collapsed forward onto his knees first, swaying dangerously then he slowly tipped sideways, landing heavily in the spreading pool of his own blood and his breathing became shallow and ragged with each breath a struggle.

His face had gone deathly pale with his lips turning blue from blood loss.

"Old man!" Terrance shouted from across the small space. He started to run toward Treth with his only thought being to help... to stop the bleeding somehow... to do something—

SHING!

Cold steel pressed against Terrance’s throat as a sword had appeared from nowhere, the blade kissing his skin hard enough to draw a thin line of blood that trickled down to his collarbone.

Klaus had materialized the weapon from his storage ring in less than a second, moving with speed to intercept the young miner’s movement.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Klaus asked and Terrance’s voice died completely in his throat. His entire body froze with every muscle locking up and even his breath caught, afraid that the rise and fall of his chest might push his neck further into the blade.

"Back to your position," Klaus commanded quietly. "You have your own task to complete."

The sword withdrew slightly but didn’t disappear and Terrance stumbled backward on shaking legs, returning to where he’d been standing.

Mira was watching everything with wide terrified eyes.

The reality of the situation had finally... fully sunken in... This wasn’t a negotiation... This wasn’t a scare tactic. The Heavenly Commoner was absolutely serious, and he would let them die if they didn’t comply.

Her hands trembled as she raised her own pickaxe, positioning the pointed end against her lower stomach.

She thought of her younger sister back home, waiting for the money Mira had promised to send and thought of the debts their family owed and even thought of how stupid she’d been to think she could steal even a little bit.

’I’m sorry...’ Mira thought. ’I’m so sorry.’

She drove the pickaxe in but her hands were shaking so badly, and fear made her muscles clench, and the force she applied was far too much.

The blade didn’t just pierce...it plunged deep into her abdomen, driven by panic and adrenaline and terror all mixed together.

Mira’s scream was piercing, echoing off the cavern walls loud enough to make several of the watching miners flinch and cover their ears.

She yanked the pickaxe sideways with strength born of pure desperation to get this over with, to end the pain as quickly as possible and the momentum carried the blade further than it should have. Her stomach opened wide in a horrible gaping wound that stretched from one side of her abdomen almost to the other.

Blood erupted from the gash in a pressurized spray, coating her work clothes and the ground beneath her in seconds.

Through the wound, her intestines were clearly visible in pinkish-grey coils as the edges of the cut showed deeper tissue with muscle fibers torn apart and fat deposits separated.

The silver chunks she’d swallowed came tumbling out with the initial gush of blood, bouncing across the ground with metallic clinks before rolling to a stop in the spreading pool.

Mira tried to scream again, but the sound died in her throat as shock began setting in and her mouth opened and closed silently with her eyes wide.

She collapsed onto her side as her body began to convulse. Her hands instinctively pressed against the wound, trying desperately to hold herself together, but blood continued seeping between her fingers.

The pool beneath her spread rapidly... it was red and so dark that it was almost black in the dim dungeon light.

The other miners who’d been watching turned away, several of them actively vomiting from the sight and smell of so much blood and exposed viscera.