Back in the town of Al De Baran, a small crowd gathered to cheer them off to wherever they were going to next. It was still daylight, and Baphomet's help had them make excellent time. On getting into Geffen again, there were more adventurers out now, and they all gasped at the odd group. Ignoring the stares, Howard and Seyren led them into the tower. When they came to the spot that Howard met Sarine again, he stopped Windwalker and looked at Sarine.
"Howard?" Sarine frowned.
"I have to do this," Howard growled. "How many people are walking through here?"
"Not many. Why?" Eremes asked. A grin formed on his face, as Howard plucked Sarine off the Gryphon and took her into a darker portion of the hallway. Seyren snickered, and Doppy thought with amusement.
"You know that, if you do this, I get to do the same thing, right?" Doppy stated.
"Fine!" Howard grumbled, as he muffled Sarine's cries. Windwalker easily blocked anyone trying to view with its massive size and girth. Kathryne and Cecil giggled, as Margaretha seemed to sigh. Seyren whistled softly and glanced at Karla. She was tending to Luna and waiting patiently.
"What are they doing?" Mitchell asked.
"They're having sex," Doppy grinned. That made Mitchell blush and keep his mouth shut. Keltin gave a look to Doppy, and Eremes couldn't stop the escaping chuckle that emerged. Doppy smirked back, and they continued to wait. It didn't last much longer, and Howard brought Sarine back over to them. He placed her gently on Windwalker's back.
"Feel better?" Doppy grinned.
"Much!" Howard grinned back. Sarine was still recovering. He had never gotten her so much before, and it was an overplay of passion.
"I'll lead you to where I first met her down below," Doppy smirked.
"There's the Payon cave, too," Keltin thought.
"I should take her back to that dressing room in Comodo," Eremes chuckled. Sarine was blushing the whole time, and they all laughed. They made it through the first two levels of the tower easily, and it didn't take long for Doppy to find the right spot where he saw Sarine walking away when she first moved into his life.
"Okay, Sorry Sari!" he grinned and moved to lift her off of Windwalker's back.
"Are you serious?" she hissed. In response, he placed his mouth over her neck, causing her to gasp. He moved her into a nearby abandoned ruin, and the party waited patiently once again. Mitchell ended up blushing again, but Kathryne helped him train on the monsters that got too close to them.
"You'd think she'd have enough!" Seyren grinned.
"Quiet," Howard warned. Eremes was scouting the area and keeping other adventurers at bay. He even went so far as to lure the dark Doppelganger nearby to another adventuring party, and it worked to chase them off. A few more minutes went by when Doppy was seen carrying Sarine back to them. She was completely worn out now, and Keltin carefully helped to get her back on the Gryphon's back. She gave a weak sigh, and the Bongun gasped.
"Sarine! What happened to your neck?!" he freaked at the bite mark there.
"Shit," Doppy growled.
"You did it again?" Lloyd said to him incredulously and Healed Sarine. At the looks the others gave Doppy, the High Priest cringed at what he said.
"What happened again?" Howard said in rather quiet tone. Seyren whistled and moved Karla a few steps back. Keltin blinked and glared now. Eremes narrowed his eyes at Doppy and flashed his katars. Wincing, Doppy sighed and told them what happened earlier in the morning.
"You almost killed her?!" Eremes hissed.
"How could you?! And not tell us?!" Keltin spat.
"Stop!" Sarine said wearily. "Just...don't fight over me! Stop it..."
"Sarine," Howard whispered and rushed to her.
"It's okay, How-How. Listen," she pulled him close and whispered to him. He tensed at first, but then he started to give in. Little by little, she got him to break.
"But, to have him drink your blood?!" he fretted. She got a look in her eye that made him stammer. Grabbing him by the hand, she pulled him into the ruins where she was just with Doppy. Pressing him against the wall, she faced him.
"You know you want to try it," she chuckled, and she pressed herself against him.
"Sarine," he hissed. Then he paused, as she took out one of her normal arrows and scratched her neck open with it.
"Try it," she whispered. He blinked.
"What?" he asked, as he watched a droplet form from the scratch and slowly start to make a path down the curve of her neck. He gasped at the desire to taste it and blinked again in surprise. What was coming over me?!
"Come on, How-How," she smiled softly.
"Sarine..." he whispered. He tensed when her hand moved up to caress his cheek and draw him to the scratch. Little did she know that the Demonic blood coursing through his system was dormant. Until now. The scent of her blood drew it out just a touch for him to lick up the droplet, and he felt her shudder with lust. Then his mouth latched onto the wound, and his arms wrapped around her form, as she gasped with pleasure. A portion of that single droplet of Doppy's blood in her system worked its way into Howard now and woke the dormant Demonic blood in his system completely. Nothing was going to be done yet, since she wasn't in any danger, but the demon that was forced to give over the blood was now aware of her, and of Howard, once again. The demon that became aware of her now desired her and decided to see if more could be learned about her.
After two small mouthfuls were drawn, he forced himself away. I had no idea how potent the merest taste of her blood was! Gasping, he forced down the Demonic part in his monster blood and regained control of it instinctively.
"Do you see now?" she asked softly.
"All right. I see now," he said.
"Told you so..." she smiled. He grinned and kissed her hard. He knew she was a bit weak now, so he gathered her into his arms. It was only a few minutes that went by when he was seen carrying her back out. The new wound was on her neck visible for all to see now, and Lloyd Healed it. Giving her some juice, she sipped from the cup and looked at Howard, as she asked, "Now do you understand?"
"Ugh..." Howard said, as he shook his head. He still couldn't believe how good her blood tasted. Giving a glare to Doppy now, he crossed his arms over his chest.
"What?" Doppy asked.
"Limit yourself to two mouthfuls, okay?" Howard grumbled. That made Doppy laugh, and he promised to do just that. He did give an odd glance to Howard now. He smelled the Demonic blood in his system, and Howard only gave a short nod that he knew and had it under control. Doppy seemed to wince, but he would trust what Howard felt.
"What did you do?" Keltin asked Howard.
"She...made me taste her blood," he sighed.
"What?!" Keltin frowned.
"Later at home!" Sarine shuddered, as she drank more juice. "Doppy, can you please tell us where we need to go? The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can rest."
"Are you all right?" Doppy asked with a frown. She normally had a rather even temper. Her testiness was new, and he was extremely concerned. He thought it could be his blood doing it, but he had a rather intense, blood-thirsty temper. This was different.
"I'm just...drained now," she sighed. Margaretha handed her more juice, and Cecil frowned. Seyren was watching Doppy the whole time, and the demon seemed to glare back at him before leading them to the stairway down.
"There's nothing here," Eremes mused. The stairs led to a dead end.
"To others," Doppy chuckled and kicked in a loose stone. Then the stairway dropped down to the land of Geffenia. "Others would need a special Warp. I know a shortcut."
"Clever," Keltin nodded and held Sarine upright.
"Sarine?" Howard whispered.
"So tired..." she sighed.
"How much blood did you take?" Margaretha asked Doppy.
"I controlled myself this time," he replied and refused to say anything more.
"More juice!" Margaretha said, and Sarine was given more to drink. When they descended to the lower level, two monsters were waiting for them.
"Sarine, look! It's a Mini Demon and Fake Angel. See?" Keltin asked. She was struggling to stay awake. The blood loss had a definite effect on her. Mini Demon resembled a red Deviruchi holding a scythe. Baphomet Jr. instantly went over to start making friends. Fake Angel resembled a golden-haired cherub with white wings and a white toga, but the eyes were black to show it wasn't a true angel. Pointing up to a ledge, an Incubus and a Succubus were making their way towards them.
Incubus looked like a rather handsome blond man in leather bondage gear. The horns on the side of his head were straight up so they gleamed in the weak light, and his black wings flexed, as he walked over to them. He gave Sarine a flirtatious wink. She was too drained to notice, and he felt mildly insulted. He would likely try again later. Succubus looked like a ravishing blond in pink baby doll lingerie. Her horns were curled inwards, and her pink wings fluttered seductively, as she walked up to them in a strutting manner. Seyren gave a grin to her, and Karla smacked his arm. He gave her an apologetic look, and she shook her head. She was warned that Seyren still had a touch of brashness to him, so she expected this.
Eremes was watching Sarine, and he noticed she was getting more and more sluggish. She even looked a touch paler than usual. Moving over to her, he paused only when he heard the sharp playing of a violin. A Violy walked over to them resembling a blond girl with purple skin. She appeared to be in some sort of a performer's suit that frilled out at the skirt with a red bow hanging from her neck. The end strands of the bow were so long that they fell down the front of her uniform. She played the violin expertly and moved to stand with them.
"What's going on?" Howard asked.
"The monsters are coming to us. They must know that Sarine is weak," Keltin whispered. He continued to hold her and tried to keep her focused.
"Let them keep coming," Doppy nodded. They waited a bit longer, and a black armored horseman appeared carrying a massive sword and various spears. A small flag even wavered in the wind above him on a pike, as the black horse moved towards them.
"Abysmal Knights are here?" Howard frowned. Abysmal Knight charged down to join them, and he pointed his sword to a large, red figure looming towards them.
"Bloody Knight?!" Keltin hissed. The massive figure was covered in blood and armored from head to toe. His shield resembled a face with spikes coming out of it, and spikes even jutted out from all of his joints. Giving a rumbled form of greeting, there appeared to be nothing else of interest here.
"We'll need to come back when she's better. I memorized this place, so it will be easier to get to," Lloyd said. This would make things much easier, and they went through Lloyd's Warp to get back to the island home. Doppy swiftly moved Sarine into the bedroom and laid her on the bed where she passed out into a deep sleep.
"Where is she?" Howard asked.
"Quiet! She fell asleep," Doppy growled.
"Already?" Keltin frowned.
"Hmm," Eremes frowned and went downstairs. He came back up with a Yggdrasil Berry. "Not many left. Try to wake her and have her eat this."
"Are you crazy?" Keltin asked.
"She should not be so weak," Eremes said. Howard took the fruit from him and went over to Sarine. Taking out a knife, he broke up the fruit into small pieces and slowly managed to wake her enough for her to eat them. The effect was instant. She was sitting up and chewing on the fruit now, feeling much better.
"We'll need to get more of those fruits," Doppy thought aloud.
"What happened?" she whispered, as she put a hand to her head.
"A lot of blood loss, apparently," Howard grumbled and pulled her to him. She blushed, and he sighed before grinning at her when she kissed him.
"There is still a lot of time left, isn't there?" she smiled.
"The day isn't over yet," Eremes nodded.
"We should go to the Payon house," Keltin advised. She looked over at Doppy and smiled, as he was rather curious about the house. Howard gave her another kiss and carried her downstairs to see the others.
"You are planning on going now? Good. I think a Royal Guard of Prontera is in Payon and may have just arrived. We should all go," Storm Caller nodded.
"Wonderful," Howard said, as he rolled his eyes, and Sarine giggled.
"My house isn't very big, so I'm not sure who wants to go," Keltin frowned.
"Your house?" Doppy frowned. Keltin told him how the house belonged to him and how he gave it to Sarine. That made him nod.
"Can't we simply add on to the house?" Eremes mused. That made Sarine blink, and she felt her tattoo burn, as it glowed. The Valkyrie from Valhalla appeared before her. She smiled and looked up expectantly at the powerful figure.
"Yes, Vessel of Odin?" she asked.
"Would it be possible for monsters to travel from here to the house in Payon without my assistance? But, only to the house in Payon in order to protect it?" Sarine asked.
"That would be tricky to do," Valkyrie said, as she hovered in the air. "But, as Storm Caller is able to do so to protect your home, it will be allowed. However, they cannot leave the house radius of five hundred feet, unless you are with them."
"We can build a fence around the house to help judge distance," Keltin said.
"There was one more thing," Sarine nodded.
"Yes, Vessel of Odin?" Valkyrie asked.
"Would it be possible to enhance all of the monsters that come here? Sort of like a monster transcendence? We have built an arena outside, and we may be using it for funds and human skill enhancement," Sarine smiled. That made Valkyrie smile, and she nodded. It would be very beneficial for the war ahead with this done. She disappeared to start enhancing the monsters that were there currently.
"I wonder how she will work with the monsters we find," Howard grinned.
"I think she'll find a way," Sarine giggled. Valkyrie reappeared before her and nodded.
"It is done. As you find the monsters, I shall enhance them from Valhalla and send them here for you. Be well, Vessel of Odin!" Valkyrie rang out, as she vanished. Howard gathered up Sarine in his arms and told Storm Caller of what happened. That made him smile, and he agreed that the house in Payon could easily be altered. He was very pleased at the strength boosts that would be given to the monsters. It would definitely help with the war. The Warp to the Payon house was done, and the monsters started to flood the outside of the house to start altering it.
At first, people thought the house was under attack. But, when they saw Sarine directing them on how she wanted it to look, they watched with awed fascination. Keltin was soon directing them on where the weak points of the house were to have them start strengthening those areas first to support the building.
"Sarine Tao?" the Chief asked, as he walked up to her purposefully.
"Oh! My last name is actually Tao-Alt-Eisen-Guile now, but how can I be of assistance?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"What is going on here?" he asked sternly once again.
"Well, it appears that I am the Vessel of Odin," she smiled softly. The masked man stammered, and she showed him the tattoo on her neck. A fist was pressed to his chest, as though he was caught off guard. That was enough for him, and he ordered the crowd of onlookers to back away. Payon was known for honor, and the Chief was no exception to the rule. Whistling now, Seyren started to pull out several long planks of wood for a fence to be built. It wasn't long before other villagers started to help out. It was incredible to see monsters and humans working together to fix up the old house.
"What do you want us to do?" a young man asked.
"Here," Sarine said, as a sheet of parchment paper was laid out. Other men appeared, and they blinked at her with astonished looks. Then they saw her husbands, and they got a vibe from them that she was not to be messed with. She laid out the design with the way she wanted the house to go, and construction was quickly underway. Keltin made some adjustments to keep the house looking traditional. He wanted it to flow with the town. It took the rest of the day, but the house was finished with everyone's help.
The ordinary two story house was now three stories tall with large, airy balconies for flying monsters, as well as a flat portion of the roof for monsters that needed to land and defend the house. Her bedroom was expanded with a massive balcony added. The bathroom was extensive, and there was plenty of room for her and her husbands. Reclining on Doppy now, as they rested on the new porch outside the front door, she watched the last few fence posts get placed around the house.
"Done!" Eremes nodded, as he sat with her.
"I never thought the house would ever get worked on," Keltin chuckled.
"Hmm," Sarine thought.
"What is it?" Howard asked.
"We may need to set up a special Warp to go to the arena when it is ready. I don't want people to know the location of our island home or our Payon home. Maybe we can set up something with the Kafra Corporation," Sarine thought aloud. "They are responsible for assisting adventurers of all types with contests and quick teleportation. I'm sure they would work with us, if the arena we built was used for training. What do you think?"
"Let's do that when we are ready," Howard said. A blink was given, as Storm Caller moved over to her to hand her the picture of her and the others from long ago.
"Where would you like to put this?" Storm Caller asked.
"You still have that picture?!" Howard said.
"Oh?" Doppy grinned, as he looked it over. "Wow. You were a beautiful Archer."
"She was stunning," Eremes corrected him. She blushed, and Howard called over Seyren, Cecil, Kathryne, and Margaretha. They all looked over the picture with fond memories.
"I want to autograph it!" Kathryne giggled.
"You know, that could give us more income," Sarine chuckled and explained how many celebrities would autograph pictures. Even monster cards went for a high enough price, if they were valued and hard to find.
"Not sure if autographs would go with monsters, but it would be nice to try," Cecil nodded. "I know that, after a long time, cards do regenerate. At least, I think so!"
"We'll do that once the arena is working out," Margaretha agreed.
"We should all take another picture," Seyren said. "Later on, of course."
The sun was finally setting, and chairs were set up on the porch now. Drinks were served by Doll, and Sammy approached Sarine.
"Sammy?" Sarine asked to see if anything was wrong.
"I just want to hang out with you," he said, as he pulled up a chair to sit by her with. She smiled and leaned back into Doppy more. As she was starting to relax, she felt Sammy poke her hand. She looked at him, and he pointed to the entrance of the gate. A Paladin on a Grand Pecopeco was making his way towards them. The bird looked like an advanced version of the Pecopeco with large, colorful plumes in its tail, and a much bulkier build to withstand more damage. It had full armor on its body, and even its helmet had a set of horns on it to help it ram into things in battle. Eremes frowned and looked over at Howard. The Whitesmith shrugged and watched the man come forward.
"I am looking for the Vessel of Odin. Um, is the Vessel of Odin here?" the Paladin asked. "Hopefully?"
"Speaking," Sarine said in her dulcet tone. She felt Doppy tense, and she gave a light smile. She watched the Paladin move closer.
"I'm sorry, but it's hard to see you," the Paladin said. Kathryne rose up and lit the fire pit at his feet. He jumped back, and now he stammered at seeing the powerful monsters there. Then he saw Sarine. He stood there in shock. He was expecting to see a monster of some kind. He wasn't expecting a beautiful woman. The firelight gave her a stunning look, and he trembled when she watched him intensely. Managing to build up his confidence again, he dismounted the Grand Pecopeco and walked over to her.
As Sarine studied him, she noticed he had beach-blonde hair, a fine physique, and deep green eyes that studied everything around him. His armor looked a lot more regal than a Lord Knight's. He had more insignias on his armor along the shoulders, chest, and along the inner arms by his elbows. A heavy collar plate circled his neck for extra protection, and his cape flowed behind his back. He lacked the tassel that a Lord Knight would have, and he walked with an air that showed he was of a rather high status.
"Vessel of Odin," the Paladin started. "The King of Prontera has commanded that I find you and invite you to the palace right away!"
"Well, you found her," Doppy said with an inhuman hiss. That made the Paladin pause, as he now fixed his eyes on the demon's glowing red pupils. Eremes smirked and Cloaked unnoticed to move alongside the Paladin quickly.
"Are you going to invite her?" Eremes asked, as he Uncloaked next to the Paladin. That made him fluster, as he was caught off guard.
"Um, yes! Right!" the Paladin forced himself to say, and he walked up to Sarine. A quiet smile was on her face, as she watched him, and he gave her the envelope with the royal invitation. It was fairly heavy, but it was just the fabric that made up the invitation.
"Thank you. And don't mind them. They're just my husbands," she chuckled.
"Just your husbands?" Keltin grinned, as he was still in his Bongun form.
"True," she muttered, and she reached for him to hug him close.
"Your husbands are monsters?! And how many do you have?" the Paladin asked.
"Four!" she beamed. Howard and Eremes moved to stand with her, as though to prove a point. "And I am not accepting any others!"
"Thankfully," Doppy grinned. She kissed him gently and felt him tense his arms around her, as she looked back at the Paladin.
"Thank you for your invitation. Unfortunately, I feel I may be rather busy soon, as it is," she giggled. Doppy's arms tightened around her to comfort her.
"When will you be able to appear in Prontera?" the Paladin asked.
"At some point tomorrow, we will be there," Storm Caller said, as he moved out of the house. The Paladin stammered at how powerful the Strouf looked, and Sarine chuckled. Then Doppy stood up and carried Sarine with him.
"Wait!" the Paladin said.
"Yes?" Sarine frowned.
"What type of monster are you?" the Paladin asked.
"I'm human," Sarine said. "But, if you mean Doppy, well...his full name is Doppelganger. He's been enhanced by Valkyrie."
"I'm a demon and damned proud of it," he smirked. That made the Paladin blanch and draw his sword. A heavy snarl was heard from Doppy now, and Sarine frowned.
"You beat the crap out of me in Geffen Tower long ago! I want revenge!" the Paladin growled. "I can beat you now!"
"I wouldn't fight him. There is a darker version of him in Geffen Tower. Take on that one. Trust me. Don't fight him here," Eremes warned.
"If you fight my husband, I will fight you, as well!" Sarine hissed. Howard looked over at her and then back to the Paladin. "You did your job. Eventually, the time will come when you can openly fight him in an arena, should all go well. Wait until then."
"I'm sorry, but I can't," the Paladin said. "I vowed to fight him the moment I saw him again. With him being here, it's a sure sign that I'll win!"
"Hold her," Doppy said to Howard and handed her over. "I'll be fine, Sorry Sari."
The others were watching everything on the porch, and Karla whispered to Seyren. A snicker was given back, as they watched Doppy approach the Paladin calmly. Then the Paladin noticed Sammy, and he paled as the massive Incantation Samurai ghost floated over him. The judge was present, and the fight could proceed. As the Paladin started to attack, the battle was over. Doppy simply side-stepped and smacked his sword against a weak link in the Paladin's armor, breaking it completely. Now that the Paladin was defenseless, he was run through.
"Doppelganger wins!" Sammy said. Lloyd walked over to the Paladin and Healed him. Doppy moved back over to Sarine and nodded to her.
"I could repair your armor for you, but it will cost you," Howard grinned.
"Forget it! I'll go to the repairman in town!" the Paladin grumbled, as his pride was hurt. He was stumbling around, as he was now Confused, and he leaned on his Grand Pecopeco for balance. "I already have no idea what I'm going to tell the others."
"Just say you found the Vessel of Odin and to watch for monsters on the horizon," Sarine smiled. "No need to get out of proportion or to describe me. They will all find out who I am soon enough. Why spoil the surprise?"
The Paladin looked over at the stunning Sniper girl in the arms of the powerful Whitesmith monster. Hopping back onto his Grand Pecopeco once he regained his balance again, the brilliantly colored bird trotted off with him.
"The night is still young. What do you want to do now?" Howard smiled.
"Keltin," Sarine crooned to him in her dulcet tone. "since this was your house first, want to help me break in the bedroom?"
That made everyone pause, and Keltin smirked before quickly snatching up Sarine to take her upstairs before they could react.
"Not fair!" Howard shouted after them.
"Time for some fun?" Doppy grinned.
"Heard and noted," Eremes chuckled and moved up the stairs with them. That made a round of chuckles and giggles move about from the others still on the porch, and it wouldn't be long for them all to join into the house for a night of sleep.