I do not own Epic7 or any of the characters.
Coming Home
Jarek smiled as he lay in bed, a beautiful girl curled into each side of him, and another opposite the one on his left. To his right, there was one with hair caught between dirty blonde and pale brown with a fair-sized chest, narrow hips, and a small but very tight ass. To his immediate left was a girl with naturally cherry-blossom-pink hair, slightly smaller but firmer breasts, and an hourglass figure. To the other side of her was a girl with larger breasts that were almost unnaturally buoyant and firm, a firm ass in between the other two in size, snow-white hair kept in a ponytail during the day, and crimson irises.
The pinkette stirred, lifting her head from where she'd slept on her stomach. She yawned, then smiled sedately before kissing him. "Good morning, Jarek."
"Good morning, Coli," Jarek smiled. "Sleep well?"
"Despite you and Celeste continuing for another hour, yes," Coli nodded.
Jarek grinned, shrugging with the shoulder that Celeste, the one to his right, wasn't asleep on. "You wake up Otillie and I'll wake up Celeste."
"Always with the special treatment," Coli pretended to pout, then turned away.
Jarek enjoyed the sight of his bare lover leaning over their shared girlfriend's equally naked body and kissing her to wake her. After a moment, he turned his head and reached down, waking Celeste similarly.
"Good morning," Celeste smiled as Jarek pulled away.
"Good morning," he smiled back, then turned as Otillie tugged his shoulder, kissing her as well. "Sleep well?"
Celeste nodded, making no move to get up, and Otillie shrugged.
"As well as I could with Coli fingering me in her sleep for half the night," Otillie said.
Coli grinned. "I just can't resist that amazing body of yours."
Otillie rolled her eyes and got up, stretching her body, as was Coli, and Celeste finally sighed, giving Jarek one last kiss before getting up. They all used the washroom through a door off to the side to clean themselves up, then began to get dressed, Celeste quickly but skillfully braiding the front locks of her hair and her bangs to frame her face. Once everyone was dressed, and two of them wearing armor, they headed up to the deck of the ship they'd booked passage on.
Celeste was wearing her usual brown with leather armor, her dagger at her side, her quiver of arrows at her other side, and her bow at her back. Coli, as usual, wore only a glorified bra on top, a short skirt, panties knee-high fishnet stockings, leather boots, and elbow-length leather gloves, all of it black, though a hair clip in the right side of her hair had slightly more color, but only because of the three white feathers in it. Her two daggers rested on her left hip over her skirt, their hilts to the front. Otillie, on the other hand, had a goldish-brown and white, skin-tight bodysuit with a pair of white corners reaching up over her nipples, which would otherwise stick out, a black jacket-like piece flaring out at the hips like a skirt with the front open, white gloves and thigh-high boots, large pauldrons built into the jacket-like piece's shoulders with white on top then black below it and around the sides, and she held a purple book at all times, with the cover decorated by thick chains. Behind her, now that she had her grimoire, floated a ring of light, betraying her status as a mage.
Jarek squinted as he stepped onto the deck, the sun failing to reflect off of his sleeveless, black, formfitting cuirass, his armored black boots, black pants, the tattered, dark grey cape around his shoulders and falling behind him or the fingerless black gloves on his hands. The only thing that caught the light were the three crystals hanging around his neck on a length of thin black rope. One was a long, slim, roughly-cut green crystal, another was a smooth, curved, blue crystal, and the last was a rough, unpolished red crystal. All three glowed softly, and he rested a hand on them for a moment as he surveyed the land mass ahead of them. His left hand fell to rest on the sword at his side with a practiced ease. It was light enough for one hand, had a black grip that could accommodate two, a rounded section between the blade and hilt, not a guard, but not sharpened, then a long black blade extended from the top of the rounded section. The blade was stout enough to hack through armor, sharp enough to make it easy, and thin enough to slip between ribs, and the blade had been specially reinforced with magic, so there was no chance of it breaking. Silver highlights decorated the sword's hilt and the rounded section, as well as a thin strip reaching partway up the length of the blade, then a short silver length of cloth hung from the end of the hilt, fluttering slightly in the wind.
"That's it," the ship's captain said, walking over. "Cidonia."
Jarek nodded. "Home sweet home."
"I'll be wantin' the rest of our fee now," the captain said.
Jarek didn't even spare him a passing glance as he tugged a pouch of coins from his belt, a black one with a silver, coin-shaped buckle, and handed it over. His belt was as special to him as his necklace, though decidedly less monetarily valuable. It held sentimental value, though. It represented a dream he and someone close to him had once shared. A dream only one of them had achieved. His eyes narrowed as his face darkened. He wasn't sure he was ready to face him again. He sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his short, messy black hair, shaking his head.
"You alright?" Celeste asked.
"Yeah," Jarek nodded. "Just anxious about being home."
Celeste wrapped her arms around him, and they remained silent until they reached the port of a small city a short distance from Perlutia, as per Jarek's instructions. The four of them disembarked together and followed the road to Perland, walking quickly, but remaining silent and watchful. Even in the middle of the countryside with no one around, there was a peculiar air about. None of them could fully settle, and as the city came into view, Jarek felt a sense of dread beginning to weigh on him, though he was pretty sure that had more to do about who was waiting there than the city itself. Finally, they neared the gates, only to stop as a lone figure walked out of the gate. They wore a black shirt, black and green pants, a tattered green cape hanging behind him, several spare bullets on his black belt, which bore a silver, coin-shaped buckle, a belt of bullets across his chest, a large sword on his back with a blocky blade, and a pistol in his left hand. Around his neck hung a black rope necklace with a glowing, green, roughly-cut crystal hanging from it, identical to Jarek's own green crystal. Both pulsed softly as they sensed the presence of their twin crystal, but neither bearer smiled as their gazes locked. the figure ahead of them reached back, drawing his large sword, revealing it as a huge rifle with the lower side of the barrel sharpened into a blade. Jarek also drew his own sword, holding it out to his right as the three women behind him backed away and moved off to the side, recognizing that this was Jarek's fight. Both started forward, remaining silent as they approached their doppelganger. Then, finally, they stopped as they were about ten feet from each other.
"You've returned," the figure said coldly.
"It's been a long time, Pavel," Jarek said. "I'm sorry I left."
Pavel remained silent for several long seconds before his right hand snapped up, opening fire with his pistol. Jarek sprinted to the side, ducking and weaving around his shots. Finally, the pistol ran dry and Pavel holstered it, slashing with his sword to break off Jarek's charge. Jarek's sword deflected the much large blade, and Pavel transitioned it to his dominant hand before striking again and again. Their blades clashed over and over, and finally, Jarek leapt into the air just as Pavel pulled the trigger, a blast of Wind-type magic energy exploding from the barrel, though missing Jarek. As Jarek fell, he slashed, but Pavel pivoted around the blade, drawing his pistol and ejecting the magazine before slashing upward at Jarek. The blade slammed into Jarek's, the brute force of the strike hurling him into the air. Pavel shouldered his rifle again, aiming up at him just as the barrel shone. Then, as he pulled the trigger, the crystal pendent around his neck shone as the energy exploded out, forming into a massive wolf's head, which barked twice before opening its jaws to devour its prey. Jarek's own red pendant shone, and a dragon made entirely of flame erupted from it, encasing him and streaking to the ground, avoiding the wolf's head, then streaking along the ground to Pavel before vanishing, leaving Jarek standing with his sword at Pavel's throat, only for him to not move a muscle as Pavel's freshly-loaded pistol pressed against the underside of Jarek's jaw.
"A draw, then," Jarek said, stepping away, Pavel holstering his pistol and returning his rifle sword to its sheath on his back as Jarek returned his own sword to its sheath. "I'm so sorry I left, brother. I never wanted to hurt you, but I had to leave."
"I know," Pavel said, then stepped forward, embracing his long-absent twin, then whispered, "I'm so glad you're safe, brother."
"What's happened?" Jarek whispered back.
"Raiders have been disappearing," Pavel said. "There's a traitor. And a Black Knight has appeared who poses a greater threat than any Perland has ever faced."
"Take me to her," Jarek said. "It sounds like every last soldier will help."
Pavel nodded, and glanced at Jarek's three companions, all of whom were just joining them. "I'm Pavel, Jarek's twin brother."
"Celeste," Celeste introduced herself.
"Coli," Coli nodded.
"Otillie," Otillie greeted, her face as emotionless as ever. "We're Jarek's girlfriends."
Pavel's eyebrow rose, but he nodded and turned, leading the four of them into the city. Jarek kept his left hand on his sword's sheath, masking being ready as being relaxed, the others likewise remaining prepared, including Pavel. However, due to not being familiar with the city and therefor taking nothing for granted, Jarek noticed something that Pavel seemed to miss. The other guards they passed, those that weren't Raiders, were feigning indifference, only to eye their movements from behind. Jarek narrowed his eyes and held his sheath a little tighter, the girls all preparing themselves equally. Finally, they arrived at Perland's castle, and Pavel led them through it quickly, heading for the throne room. He knocked once on the door, waiting for the command to enter, then led Jarek and the others into the room. Before them, several guards were aligned on the low stairs leading up to the throne, and on the throne sat a woman in a clean, pressed, white suit. Her left leg, which was crossed over the right, was wrapped in a form-fitting, splinted, metal sleeve. Just above the knee, on the front of her thigh, was a metal serpent, coiled into something like an oval, which glowed purple in the center, then the snake coiled around her leg over the sleeve until just below her knee. Her left arm was likewise wrapped in splints, these black, from her upper bicep to just below the wrist. A black military jacket hung around her shoulders, a wide black belt wrapped around her waist and abdomen, and in her right hand was a sword formed from black metal, a single piece of it. Around her, floated black, hexagonal panels, that seemed to be some sort of shield.
"Who is this?" the woman asked, tilting her head slightly, so that her long, straight, silvery hair fell over her shoulder.
"Lilias, this is my twin brother, Jarek," Pavel said.
"I could have guessed that by your matching appearances," Lilias said. "I meant the assassin, mage, and mercenary behind him."
"Sounds like you already know them," Jarek said. "In order, this is Coli, Otilie, and Celeste. They're adventurers from Ritania."
"Why are you all here?" Lilias asked.
"I've been away a very long time," Jarek said. "I wanted to see my home again. And I heard rumors of a Black Knight threatening my home. I came to offer my blade in defense of my home, if it came to a battle."
"I see," Lilias nodded. "And is there any way to prove that what you say is true? That you are not, for example, a spy from Aakhen?"
"We're not from Aakhen," Jarek promised. "But we have no proof beyond our word."
"I'll vouch for him," Pavel said. "My brother is as loyal to this city as I am."
"I see," Lilias hummed thoughtfully. "Alright, but he and his companions will be staying with you at all times."
Pavel bowed and too his leave with Jarek. After a few minutes, they reached a small building that was sparsely decorated. They followed Pavel into it, only to then follow him into a grate under the mattress, concealing it again once they had. Once they had climbed down the ladder to the waterway, Pavel turned toward them, keeping his voice down once again.
"Now that we can speak, did you notice?" Pavel asked.
"The soldiers and guards were keeping a suspiciously close eye on us," Jarek said.
Pavel nodded. "I believe that some of the nobles in Perland have paid off the guards to get them to turn on the Raiders, who are loyal beyond question."
Jarek considered for a few moments. "How well do you know Lilias?"
"Since just after you left," Pavel said. "She's not killing off her own Raiders."
Jarek nodded. "So, what are we going to do?"
Pavel considered for a few moments. "I want to go and check on a Raider who lives nearby. I expect to be ambushed."
Jarek nodded. "We'll be ready."
Pavel nodded, and they headed back up to Pavel's house and sat around the room against the walls.
"Can we talk about the Black Knight safely?" Jarek asked.
Pavel nodded. "His name is Straze. When he showed up at Aakhen, an entire battalion went to face him, and he killed them all with a single strike. He has more than enough power to obliterate Perland."
Jarek nodded, frowning. "Why hasn't he?"
"I don't know," Pavel shook his head, then looked around. "We should rest before we go."
Jarek nodded, glancing at Coli. She nodded, agreeing to take the first watch, as no one in Jarek's group was foolish enough to sleep without a watch in a potentially hostile city, and everyone else lay down, drifting off to sleep.
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