[ - Author's Note - ]
Well then, the conflict begins here.
To answer a semi-common question that's been asked; no I do not plan on bringing in characters from Kuroinu 2. I know nothing of it right now beyond some very basics, um, basics.
Nor do I plan any other crossovers with series like Funbag Fantasy and so on.
That said, I might eventually take OC inspirations from them, but not use the characters directly.
Anyway, time to set up the conflict between James Noxdecus and Sir John Mandeville.
[ - Act I - Chapter V: Maid to Serve - ]
Over the course of the next week I spent my time grinding, and doing a few odd jobs, while trying to act normal with Kara. In addition to that I spent more time practicing with Riri; sparring namely. It was a bit of fun and I noted that she had risen from level two to level six since this whole gamer thing started. I myself had managed to reach level eight in that time; no small thanks to a bit of sleeping around with Sora, Miria and Riri. With a day break after that marathon of sex. Although I did get my first stat up. For Stamina.
I am not surprised.
We were preparing for something back at the manor, so I wanted to get another job in before that. First, however, I had to pick up my new armor; Agana had sent a message to the manor saying it was ready. My current party, Riri, Aeris and Miria, followed me to the Needle Point. Following us was one of the manor's maids; Carrie. I noted she and Riri got along a few days ago and figured she'd enjoy the company before we hit the guild up. I planned to have Carrie take my clothing back once I had changed. I entered the shop and looked about. Agana was in the back of the shop, setting something on a shelf. She spotted us and I waved as I walked over. "Ah, Mi'James. Pleasure to see you, and your fellows here. Are you ready to don the new armor?" She asked me, smiling to us.
"Yup." I let off, smiling back at her, grinning as I walked over to her. "How'd it come out?" I asked Agana as she nodded.
"Come and don it. I think you'll like it." I nodded and followed her into the back room. I saw the pieces on a table as she patted my shoulder. "The idea of soaking the cloth sections came out better then I expected. I hope it helps you." She said before turning to go back to the front; likely to try and sell something to the girls. I shrugged as I moved to don the armor.
My old armor was decent for what it was. Plus two to blunt and piercing resistance. Plus Five to slashing. This armor?
(-)
Armor Type: Prototype Leather Mage Gambeson
Slashing Resistance: +10
Piercing Resistance: +4
Blunt Resistance: +4
Magical Resistance: +4
Weight: Light
Agility Penalty: 1 (-0.2 Per Con)
Other Bonuses: +7 to Mnc
A prototype mix and match of Leather Gambeson and Mage Robe, it manages to maintain the defenses of the former and most of the bonuses of the latter it's one of the best armors that doesn't use metal in it. The idea was proposed by James Noxdecus and made by Agana Bellspring.
(-)
Yeah, double the defenses, plus magical resistance, plus mana capacity? Yeah, that was quite the upgrade. The leather was a nice, rich, navy blue with the Noxdecus shield over the left chest. A matching skullcap with panels over the side of the face and a chin strap to guard the head a bit. I smiled and stripped down to my underwear and slipped the armor on bit by bit. Once donned with my sword, dagger, knives and pouches attached I stretched and walked in a circle for a moment. The armor was light, wasn't very restrictive at all (Even then I just had to push my arms all the way up a tad bit harder then usual to get my normal movement range.)
There was a slight agility penalty, but it was so low to be meaningless and my constitution easily countered it. I grabbed my folded clothing and stepped out into the shop floor.
"Ooooooooohhh." I turned my head to look. Agana was showing a dress on display to Miria who was clearly interested in it. The dress was... Um...
What I expected from this world.
The fabric was black, silky and boasted pink trim. It had a heart shaped cleavage cutout... And another over the ass. Yes, ass cleavage. It was backless and the skirt would end just under the ass.
Could you even wear panties with that?
"Oh, you look so dashing, Master!" I turned to look at Riri with Aeris on one side of her, Carrie on the other. Miria saw me and smiled, looking me up and down.
"Looking good bro!" She let off, walking over and giving me a soft, playful punch in the shoulder. "So, ready to work?"
I nodded. "When you are." I smiled, passed my clothing to Carrier who smiled back and bowed.
"Cool." The cat girl said before turning back to Agana. "I'll talk to you later about the dress, okay?"
Miria wanted to wear that?
Fuck, my libido will have a field day now.
[-]
Goblin jobs were drying up now, but there were still a fair number. Based on reports a lot of the local tribes had run to the south. Why I didn't know but they did. Still we took a goblin job that morning.
If the goblins wanted to leave we'd help evict them. Violently.
It was good xp, two of each stat point (And thanks to Sex is Power, one regular stat point extra) and two sexual trait points. We went to find goblins. We found goblins. We killed goblins.
Job well done. Sexual stat points to stamina. Regular to magic power, and thanks to Muscle Wizard I got one more in strength from it. The two universal I set to agility. After all every five agility gave me one in rapid. Every six in rapid gave me one in dexterity, thanks to The Speed of Sex. I'd have to try and find more likewise traits that would boost my stats further.
For now we decided to go and have lunch. Rather then have it at the guild we decided to go home for a meal... Which is when we stumbled over a group of men (And two women) surrounding one lone woman.
The group was eleven strong, over all. Observes of most members told me they were all level four to six. The exception was the leader.
He was about six foot two, so my own height. He had dark, spiky blonde hair that was pointed backwards. He had a long, pointed nose and pointed jaw, but looked strong and aggressive. He wore black, cloth gambeson, but it had brown, leather plates over the chest, thighs and abs. Tall, brown leather boots with pads over the knees. A sword was at his hip, but in his hand was a stick; some four feet long, round and with a slight ball at the end. Observe told me a different story.
(-)
Name: Roddy Rams
Title: Leader of the Rowdy Boys
Class: Wildman
Level: 8
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 23
Status: Healthy, Upset
Known Traits
[?]
[Gang Banger] You are strongest with a group behind you; gain +1% all stats for each follower with you with a cap at 5%
[Intimidate] To anyone weaker then you you are frightening. -5% to all foes stats under level 20 and at least one level lower then you.
[?]
From the Pulca County in Feoh, Rodderam Rams was a cousin to the Count and minor nobility in his own right. However his House was failing, and a series of scandals had it collapsing around their heads when he was thirteen. Rather then try and rebuild he left for the Adventurer's Guild and formed a group of adventurer's called The Rowdy Boys (Which still let in women, despite the name) and earned the nickname 'The Rowdy Ram'.
(-)
Ah, so that was Rowdy. I've heard of him; his group took larger jobs from the guild for the most part but there was a lot of complaints about them. They were loud, obnoxious, disorderly and caused a lot of issues for the townsfolk. Nothing truly illegal yet, but enough to put him on notice time and again. Kara was annoyed with him (And her fuck-a-thon with me was likely caused by him pissing her off; thanks Rowdy) as was most of the town. Albert didn't want to deal with him, I knew that much for sure. "You know what the hell you were doing when you messed with one of ours, bitch!" He let off to the woman in the middle of the circle as he sneered to her.
In short, a group of thugs, delinquents and troublemakers. Each also had a likewise stick or other club and wore some form of gambeson, all of the cloth variety. They clearly weren't looking to kill or maim the woman they were surrounding, but they did want to her hurt. Said woman had a look of calmness and relaxation on her face. She looked like the sort to have an easy smile on her lips, but was looking more stern at the moment. Her hands were folded in her lap, eyes moving side to side. A lot of people had stopped to look at what was going on, most from a distance, some from nearby windows and given her worried looks.
Said woman wore what looked like a white, gi top with black trim and a mid-thigh length red skirt that looked like that thing a Japanese Shrine Maiden wore. Her hands were clad in black gloves and over it was a white, detached sleeves up to her biceps with a red band about the wrist and bicep; maybe holding it in place? A gray cloth was tied around her waist holding what looked like a simple katana and second, smaller katana like blade, both at her left hip.
I would later learn the smaller one was called a wakizashi.
Her legs were wrapped in long, white cloths from the toes to just over the knee and a set of wooden sandals were on each foot; each with two blocks on the bottom and the strap going between the big toe and second toe. A white headband was tied around her forehead with the cloth hanging to her mid-back.
The woman herself was tall, I'd say five-eleven. Slender build, B-Cup Breasts (That were not on display, amazingly enough. They might be the first set of tits around here not on some kind of display, I think) softly toned but none of the muscle looked bulky. Brown eyes darted from goon to goon and her black hair hung down just past her chin, framing her face. "Oh? Well I for one find sexual assault to be rather detestable. At least back home, that was the case. It's not as if he will not heal from his... lesson." She said smoothly, a hint of an accent in her voice; I'd say Japanese in origin save Japan wasn't in this world. I, of course, used observe on her.
(-)
Name: Makoto Taihei
Title: The Honest Blade
Class: Swordswoman
Level: 6
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 28
Status: Healthy, Worried, Hungry
Romance Rating: 75
Corruption Rating: 1
Known Traits
[Back to the Wall] If you cannot retreat you fight better then normal. +5% all stats when retreat is not an option when a fight starts
[Perfect Slice] If you have longer then five seconds to line up a melee attack it's accuracy is 100%
[?]
Hailing from Mizutaku, an island archipelago off the eastern coast of Sererus, she was born to samurai family that fought against a corrupted shogun. While her family joined a ruling council she decided to leave and explore the continent in the hope to bring new skills and see new things.
(-)
Huh. I knew at least Makoto was a Japanese name, so I guess this 'Mizutaku' was very Japan-like then. She did look like a samurai. Well, slightly under-dressed samurai, but less under-dressed then most people here.
"It's called minding your own fucking business woman." Rowdy said, grinning at her. "And I think you need a lesson in it." Riri growled softly but I held up an arm and she stood down. I wanted to see what would happen for the moment. It wasn't long before the first moved; a man behind her. I saw her eyes move and before he could swing the stick at her she stepped back and slammed an elbow into his gut, knocking him back a couple of steps. Her hand grabbed his stick before she pivoted and kicked him flush on the chin. I saw a flash of white under her skirt, but it was so brief it barely registered. The man hit the ground and she held the stick in her hands out like a sword. "Tsk." Rowdy let off, unhappy the woman had a weapon now.
Yes, she could have drawn a sword... If she wanted to escalate the situation and have everyone else draw steel too. As long as the weapons were blunted there was a chance the local guards would let things sort itself out, to a point anyway. If live steel came out, well, the guards would have a fit to say the least.
The next two punks charged her, a man and woman. She swiftly moved, smacking the man in the side of the neck before he could respond with the stick, sending him down. She then twisted, turned into the woman and slammed the butt of her stick into the punk girl's rib with enough force that I heard a loud crack. Ouch. She dropped to the ground, clutching her side and gasping out for air. The swordswoman was about to take a ready stance before faltering softly, gripping her abs with her off hand. Strange, she didn't get hit, at least not that I saw...
The biggest man of the group, some six foot four, charged her now, club in the air. She seemed startled by his charge, but was slow to react...
And I had enough of this crap. I'd been gathering mana during all of this, of course, and let it loose in the form of an Arctic Orb... Not at the man, but at the ground right in front of him. Ice formed on the ground right before he stepped on it and he yelped out in surprise with something that sounded like a mix of a shriek and a squeak, managing to balance for a brief moment before both of his feet shot out from under him in a rather comedic looking way before he landed flat on his back with a hard thud. The stick he held was flung mid fall and nearly hit a goon in the face; said goon managing to duck in time.
Naturally everyone was looking at me now as I walked forwards. "Rowdy, I presume?" I said, stopping some ten feet from the leader of this gang. My group followed of course; Miria stopping on my left, smirking at Rowdy. Aeris stopped further back and I could feel her slowly channel mana to her hands; she was trying to be discreet about it. Riri moved to my right, hands on the long knives she kept at each hip. "Mind not causing a scene? It's kinda annoying."
"Lord James Noxdecus." Rowdy shot back, spitting a glob at my feet, said spit falling short of me by over a foot. "This ain't none of your damn business, lordling, so just go home and-"
"This is my business." I cut him off, glaring back at him. "My father is the baron here, unless you forgot, and I do have authority to tell you to either leave now or be escorted to the local jail for attempting to assault a woman in the street."
"Really? You think you're the boss here, boy?" He let off, snorting as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe tomorrow I'll go over and tell the old man about how his son is getting uppity?"
"Oh, you could try... But he's leaving in the morning. Trade talks and all that." Rowdy frowned at me, clearly not happy someone was standing up to him. "And even if he wasn't we've heard of how much trouble you've been causing. I'm sure he'd love to give you an... education on etiquette."
He sneered at me, gripping his weapon in his hand. He took a step towards me, clearly trying to threaten me. "Listen here, boy, I'll-" And whatever he said was shut off as I snapped my hand out towards him. I threw a Magic Missile past his head making him jerk away as I directed it into another stick of someone who was about to charge the samurai girl, blowing it into splinters. Rowdy stepped back as I gave him a stern glare.
"If you're so eager to know what prison food tastes like, then I can-" I began in a warning tone.
"Okay, okay, shit. We're leaving boys." He let off, glaring at me as he turned. His still standing members moved to assist the downed ones to their feet, the downed woman in particular limping off. The bigger guy tried standing, slipped on the ice once more and then crawled off the patch before getting up. "But this ain't over lor-"
"It's over." I said sternly as he flinched in surprise. Finally he scoffed and turned to walk away.
Asshole.
Once I was sure he wasn't going to turn around and try a cheap shot I looked to the foreign woman as I walked over to her. "You okay?" I asked her, smiling softly. She blinked, smiling as she set the tip of the stick to the ground, smiling as she folded her hands on the grip's end.
"Aye, friend. I thank you for your help." She said, straightening her back out giving herself a proud look, the easy smile I thought she would have coming to her face.
"If I can ask..." I began as my friends came to flank me as I rested my wrist on my rapier's handle. "What was all that about?"
"Ah. Well you see, a pair of their number were harassing the womenfolk of the town." She began, lifting a finger up as she spoke. "I decided to step in and assist the ladies. When the brutes decided they would 'deal' with me I none-too-gently asserted they should leave."
Translation: She went and kicked their asses.
"Explains why Rowdy was all up in arms. Guys like him hate being slighted. But what happened at the end there? You were knocking them around but you looked like you took a hit before I stepped in." She blushed a bit, squirming a little, body shifting side to side.
"Um, well, you see..." She let off, looking a bit shy. What was the issue here, I wondered. And then... I had my answer.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
She blushed deeper, pulling her arms around her belly, chuckling in embarrassment. Yes, that was her stomach growling out loudly, like a demanding lion. "I, um, had an encounter with Goblins three days before I arrived here. I was able to dispatch them, but one of them made off with my supplies of both food and money. I, er, um, well... I am hungry." She said, finally hanging her head in shame.
I chuckled a bit and stepped in closer, setting a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, it's fine. By the sounds of it you were helping out around here, so how about I repay the favor?" I told her as she blinked to me, tilting her head. "We were heading home for lunch. Why don't you join us?"
"I could not possibly!' She let off, stepping back, dropping the stick as she waved her hands. "I would not want to just accept such a thing with no payment offered!"
"Then you can tell us about what you've done on your travels. Pay us in tales rather then in coin." I said as she frowned about to protest once more.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
"I, er..."
"And if you still feel you owe us you can repay when you can afford to do so. I'm not going to leave a starving woman in the street when I can help a bit." I told her smiling.
"...Very well..." She said, sighing deeply. "I am Taihei Makoto. Er, Makoto Taihei. Makoto is my given name; I forget that those in these lands give their given name first. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said, bowing softly, a gesture that I returned.
"I am James Noxdecus." I said, patting my chest. "This is my adoptive sister, Miria Noxdecus."
"Yo." Miria said, giving a soft wave.
"My maid, Riri."
"Hiiiii!" Riri let off, holding a hand up as she spoke cheerfully.
"And my father's apprentice, Aeris."
"Greetings." Aeris curtsied softly, her staff floating behind her as usual.
"A maid and an apprentice? You are a person of importance then?" Makoto asked, smiling to me.
"You can say that." I said with a chuckle. Maybe she didn't hear my exchange with Rowdy clearly, or miss understood what was said. "Come on, let's get going. Sooner we get there, the sooner we eat."
"Hear, hear!" Miria let off as we started to walk, Makoto falling in step with us. Riri was the one who decided to chat up our new friend as we walked through town. Makoto seemed to wonder when we'd turn towards a district after a short while. She seemed surprised when we instead left Argon. She seemed confused for most of the walk until she realized that we were heading to the walled-in manor in the distance when she looked much more surprised.
Riri giggled and pointed to me, explaining things to Makoto who went even more and more wide eyed; clearly she didn't understand the situation earlier. That look carried on as we walked past the wall's gates as I waved to the outer gate's guards.
"Mi'lord."
"Mi'lord."
"Hey guys, glad to see ya working hard." I said cheerfully, both of the guards nodding to me. We were half way to the manor proper when Makoto jogged up to my side, walking in pace with me.
"W-wait? You're the local lord's son?" She let off, wide eyed as she looked at me. I shrugged at her.
"Try not to make a big deal of it, if you please. There's a time and place for formalities, but too many makes me feel stiff."
"A-as you say, James-sama." She let off as I chuckled. "If I may say, you are not like the sons of most lords I've heard of. They tend to be less... Relaxed, I suppose the word would be."
I nodded and smiled. "Well I blame a good upbringing." Two of them, really. We walked though the manor's door and I saw Sora inside; the woman turning to face me back straightening up.
"Ah, Mi'lord. You're a little early; lunch will be served shortly." I smiled and nodded to her.
"Thanks Sora. Also, could you show Makoto here to the baths." The Mizutakuian native looked to me wide eyed for a moment before I spoke once more. "She'll be joining us for lunch, but she's been on the road for a bit. I imagine she can use the chance to freshen up."
"Of course, sire." Sora replied, bowing deeply before looking to Makoto. "Well, young lady, I hope you brought an appetite with you."
"Ah. Well, I..." She began before...
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...
"Ah, I see I need not have worried about that." Sora said, bemused as she gently took Makoto's arm. "This way then, dear guest." She said, leading her away. I chuckled softly, this was going to be a good lunch.
[-]
Lunch was a bit late, but it was still good. Makoto was introduced to my parents, Gregory and Serra. I gave them the brief run down of the confrontation between Rowdy and Makoto, as well as my own part in it. Miria attempted to make it sound cooler then it was, but I did my best to keep things on track.
Makoto, for her part, was wearing a borrowed robe at the moment. The maids decided to abscond with her clothing to wash and mend them. Said robe was short, showed off a little cleavage and was thin.
I was not phased in the slightest now.
"Always a bad apple in every bunch. Can be hard to pick out, they are." My father said, stroking his beard slowly before looking to Makoto. "I apologize that you had to deal with that, dear. For now, be our guest while you work and earn your way. As you can see, we've no lack of means, so do not feel like you are imposing."
"I, ah, still feel as if I am." Makoto let off, rubbing the back of her head. She had eaten the most of anyone at the table, but the last we heard of her stomach it was a happy murr. "I am not used to not offering coin when in this situation."
"Oh, stop fretting. We're happy to have you so don't worry about it." My mother was the one cutting in this time. She had been happy I brought home a girl, although that seemed to be dampened by the lack of interest I was showing in wooing her. I mean aside from the First Time Bonus I had plenty of options for sex so didn't need to jump her bones. And it'd be kinda rude, I thought. "If you're that upset about it then why not work for us, for a short while at least." Makoto looked to her, tilting her head softly.
"What do you mean, Saxon-sama?" Makoto asked and Merlin crossed his arms and was the one who spoke up.
"Myself and Saxon will be heading out west tomorrow for a couple of weeks. We're completing trade talks over in Roxford." He said, smiling warmly.
Roxford, from what I knew, was a small republic to the west of Eostia, not that far away. It's history in short; a long line of kings had decided to oppress the common folk, spend their way into deficit, then taxed the common man for their spending and found themselves on the wrong end of a revolution that managed to get control of the kingdom. They attempted to reform into a Constitutional Monarchy but said monarchy attempted to reassert their dominance by asking a smaller kingdom to assist with ending the revolution. It didn't work; the entire royal family was executed, the smaller kingdom was conquered and their royal family was executed as well.
There was a fair bit of internal instability and conflict with neighboring countries until one of their Generals asserted authority, sorted things out, brought some notable people in the realm into one place and got them to sit down and form an actual government that didn't involve a king or queen at the head of it. A democratic republic was formed and had stabilized the country and economy, for the most part. While it was unpopular with nearby kingdoms things had smoothed out over time, and Eostia's and Roxford's joint neighbor finally signed a peace and trade deal with them, meaning that they were open for business.
Hence, the parents heading out to talk trade. "James will be left in charge of Mungale, of course, and he can use an extra sword-hand." Saxon said, turning her head to me. "Don't you agree, Dear?"
"Yeah, I'd say nothing is wrong with that." I replied, nodding as I crossed my arms, thinking as I leaned back in my seat. "If nothing else, she can join the others on guild jobs in my place." I'd have to stay close to the manor for a while in case anything came up. I wasn't expecting anything, but on the off chance someone decided to visit I'd have to offer them tea or something.
I wasn't too worried, really.
"I see. Well, if that is the case I shall accept. Solider or bodyguard, I'll fulfill whatever role you wish." She said, bowing softly in her seat with her hands in her lap.
We had her tell us tales of her homeland and travels in the meantime and told her some of our own stories. Sora brought her to a small room to use for her stay and at dinner (At which point Makoto had her normal clothing back, cleaned and mended) I was pestered into playing the flute by my mother. I trained a bit then moved to my room to work on some new projects of mine. After finishing Prim's gift I had a couple other things to work on; one was a spin-off on my magical communicator and the other was something nostalgic to me.
On said communicator I gave one to my father and taught him how to use it. Once he got to Roxford's capital he'd call me, or at least try. I wanted to get an idea of the range of what I had made. He packed it into his chest and told me he'd do it once there. He made a show of putting it there as a way of both telling me he trusted me to manage without him and as a way to force me to do so; I can't rely on him for everything, after all.
For the most par though, I didn't expect much to happen. I didn't need to tell Gregory or the guards what they had to do, they knew already. I didn't need to tell Sora or the maids what they had to do, they knew already. I didn't need to tell Serra what she had to do, she knew already. Really it was just going to be handling whatever decided to come up and we weren't expecting visitors or the like.
All I had to do was sit in the chair and let the S.S. Mungale sail itself on autopilot.
[-]
"Alright m'boy, I don't need to tell you what to do." Merlin told me the following morning. He was smiling wide as he stood there, chuckling. The carriage was loaded, the driver and escort ready and horses set. We were in front of the manor and just saying the good byes before they were off on the road. "Just do it and take care of things for me, alright?"
"No worries here, Dad." I said, patting my chest, giving a show of confidence. "I got this. You just worry about your talks." I said, nodding to him with a smile.
"Dear, do eat well while we're gone." Saxon added as she spoke to me, shifting side to side as she tapped her index fingers into each other before her. "And train hard! But not too hard, or you'll hurt yourself! Oh and, b-be sure to wash behind your ears! And under your foreskin; you'll want to-"
"I got it mom, don't worry!" I let off, blushing as I waved my hands before me.
Dear lord this woman... TMI Mom, TMI.
"Have a good trip, Master." Aeris said to my father, bowing slightly to him as she smiled. "I await to hear tales from your journey." She said softly clasping her hands before her chest.
"Ah, Miria! D-don't go sleeping around with too many boys! I know you have itches to scratch but-"
"Moooooooom!" Not even Miria was safe from Mom's doting.
...
Wait, was Miria sleeping around? I mean it wasn't that long ago that she was a virgin. I mean, it's not like we were exclusive or anything, but still.
"Take care of James and Miria, Sora. I'm sure they'll be fine, but I want you to keep an eye on things here for us." Merlin told our head maid who smiled and bowed deeply at the hips to him.
"As I did for your wife." She said, rising back up. "And her father. And his father before him." She said. Finally Merlin gently guided his fretting wife to the carriage (Yes, she was still fretting, telling Miria to wash under her tail among other things. Was that a thing for Catalan's?) got her inside and shut the door.
"Take care!" Merlin called off as the carriage took off. Along with him was two maids acting as a drivers at the moment and four of our knights on horseback.
Well, we called them knights, but for classes they had a level eighteen dragoon, a level thirteen fighter, a level twelve paladin and a level ten solider.
Sadly they were body-guarding two people who were way over their level.
Soon they were off and I sighed. I didn't plan on taking jobs for a bit, so it was a bit of desk work for me.
And that meant no xp gain for awhile because of that. Shit. Oh well.
Still, I could grind my skills.
I went back inside and everyone left in the outside the manor got back to work or whatever they were doing.
[-]
One Hour Later
On the road towards the Duchy of Ur
A well made, polished carriage rode along the paved road besides the forest towards the Ur Duchy, heading at a firm speed to the destination. The road would carry on through the Barony of Cameron and then the County of Bemul. Beyond that; the road towards Roxford. Soon it would pass over a bridge as it went along on it's way. Nothing happened in that spot for two minutes.
Then a black clad man would then whistle downwards, a black horse walking under the tree he was perched in. Dropping down he landed softly on the saddle, turned the horse about and rode off. Within fifteen minutes he would rejoin his companions.
Soon another carriage, equally polished but trimmed with golden accents would ride in the opposite direction of the first, flanked by four riders, including the black clad man. A horse drawn wagon followed behind them, flanked behind by two riders. A second wagon was pulled along behind that, three riders flanking the rear.
Nine on horseback. Ten men in each wagon. It was less then half the men brought for the task at hand.
Their destination? Noxdecus Manor.
[-]
What little paperwork was done in the morning; to be fair my dad did most of the work the night before. Everything was in such order it was boring really. Still, I didn't mind; more time to grind stuff.
Lunch came and we were all having a good meal, joking and smiling as we ate. The maids were at their own table and sometimes added their own comments as they ate. Makoto was being accepted as part of the group quite readily I thought.
Sora left the table to attend to her own duties as we talked.
"If this is the food I can look forwards to I may work here for sometime!" Makoto had let off as she patted her stomach. I had to make a note to sent her to Agana's to get some new outfits made up for her. I doubt she'd accept them as a gift, so I needed to find away to get spending money in her pocket and her pointed in that direction. Well, the girls should go off and do some jobs soon anyway.
"Mom worked with the chefs herself; she's quite the cook in her own right." I said, smiling as I finished my food, Miria nodding.
"Ohhh, yeah. When she gets back we should have her make up her ribs. That'll be great!"
"Hmm, I'm more fond of her tomato soup and those delightful chicken-pasta mixes of hers." Aeris added, smiling wider. I chuckled a bit as I finished what I had left and saw Sora return from the corner of my eye. That was odd as she had things to do, but what worried me was that she looked agitated; like someone had farted right in her face.
Why did I make that analogy? I had nothing better? Really?
"Mi'lord." She said sternly. "We have a guest outside." She said. Oh no. The way she said 'guest' was the same way someone would utter a curse that they would cast on someone coupled with a lot of swearing. Before I could inquire further she spoke again. "Sir John Mandeville."
Huh... That name sounded familiar. Where did I hear it before?
Before I could work that out I heard a crash of porcelain to floor. Riri (Who had been taking plates to a cart to take back to the kitchen) turned to look at Sora with a face white as a sheet; as if the worst, scariest ghost who had ever (un)lived had decided to haunt her that moment. And then...
Memories, the ones I got with the trip to this world, hit me like a truck.
I didn't know the man directly but we went to the same party once. During my time at Elddale studying enchantment I had to hobnob with the local bigwigs at a few parties. With slavery a thing there it could get uncomfortable to say the least. There were abolitionists around (More then I think most people suspected, even) but they couldn't do much thanks to those in power like the ruling family, House Blitzhaus.
A local, wealthy, abolitionist merchant pointed an old man out to me; Sir John Mandeville. Not sure how he got the sir added to his name, but he was very close to the Blitzhaus' so I imagine they knighted him for some reason or another. But it was the merchant who told me all about who he was; he was a merchant in his own right, an owner of many brothels, taverns and so forth and a connoisseur of slaves.
In fact I overheard that he was purchasing an old, escaped slave of his that was held in the pens some months later, nearing the end of my stay there. Having heard from several people about things he did to slaves (As well as coaxing a maid to be honest when talking to me about what happened to her while working in Blitzhaus Castle) I decided to break into the pens, break out the slaves and do something good. It was also that night I met Riri, a slave at the time who was being resold.
To Sir John Mandeville.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to put two and two together.
"Well, isn't that great..." I let off, standing up quickly; too quickly, my chair was knocked over. Miria's chair rocked as she stood up as well and moved to flank me. "Did he say what he wanted?"
Sora sucked in a breath for a moment, looking me in the eye, but I saw her orbs dart to my personal maid for a brief moment. "To retrieve 'lost property'."
"That figures." I let off, crossing my arms. Gregory moved to flank my other side with a huff and a frown under his beard. Riri whimpered and shivered where she stood.
"Forgive me, but if this man is looking for what he has lost why do you all seem like you are readying for a fight?" Makoto let off, looking at us confused, head turning from person to person.
"He's not looking for a what but a who." I told her, looking towards her as I turned to face the swordswoman. "He's from the south in Balanar, another kingdom. He's really big on slavery. Long story short while I was in Elddale, another place with slavery, I decided that the slaves kept in a pen needed to be freed. And one of them decided to stick with me." Makoto looked to the shaken Riri back to me and I nodded. "Yeah, she was a slave and was being resold to Mandeville. And needless to say, I'm not planning to send her back." Riri looked to me wide eyed as I sucked in a breath. Someone had to get control and like it or not, that was me.
Thanks for leaving now Dad.
"Riri, go to officer's barracks for now until I or Sora come for you. Sora, Gregory, Miria, Aeris, you're all with me. A small show of force might make him think twice." I doubted it, but I hoped so. I turned to Makoto. "I know you're on the payroll, but I can't just ask you to-"
"I offer my blade willingly." Makoto said, standing proud before me. "How a man treats his lessers speaks volumes of his character. You are speaking well right now, James-sama." I smiled back to her.
"Let's go then."
I made sure Riri was on the move before we walked to the front of the manor. The guards saw us and opened the gate wide and we stepped into the sun onto the manor grounds. I saw Mandeville waiting. His carriage was behind him. Three men on horseback and armored in metal, plus one more in leather who was dismounted, flanked his transport. The man in leather moved to Mandeville's side directly. One of the guards outside the door spoke up to me. "He has two wagons of men, Mi'lord. Both outside the outer gate." I nodded. Looks like I wasn't the only one making a show of force.
Mandeville himself was standing with a cane in his hands, both of them folded over the grip of it. To his left was a woman in armor, holding a spear with a set of hooks under the blade that had it's butt set to the ground. To his right the dismounted, leather armored man. His right eye was missing with some sort of glass eye; spell stone I think. Behind him stood a huge, imposing wall of a man in armor who's arms were crossed; he was bigger then Gregory himself!
Time to use Observe.
(-)
Name: Sir John Mandeville
Title: ?
Class: Merchant/Summoner
Level: 23
Alignment: Hostile
Reputation: 11
Status: Healthy (Aged), Confident
Known Traits
[?]
[Sadist of Slaves] The pain and discomfort of your slaves is your pleasure. +5% to all sexual stats when your slave is in pain
[Tamer of Slaves] Slaves break easier under your direction. +10% to all sexual stats when sexually training a slave
[?]
Born into a notable merchant clan, John found himself fascinated at an early age by slaves, slavery and the ability to hold such power over another human being. He started to work at the age of nine and bought his first slave at age eleven, a five year old girl. He has a tastes for all sorts of women, but enjoys non-humans the most, especially dark-elves; pure and half.
He has collected, sold, traded and trained over one hundred slaves. He enjoys giving tips, directions and instruction in slave training to others. His favorite types are the ones who actively defy him for as long as possible.
(-)
Name: Brendon Lightstep
Title: ?
Class: Rouge
Level: 10
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 34
Status: Healthy, Relaxed
Known Traits
[?]
[Crack Shot] Your aim is very steady when you're not actively under attack. +15% to Acc when not a target
[?]
Left at an orphanage by his mother as a baby he picked his first pocket at age five. He beat up a kid for his money at age eight. He slit his first throat for money at age eleven. He believes you must be willing to earn money by whatever means you have, and will do what he can to have the one thing that gave his security in life; money. It was the one thing that he could rely on.
(-)
Name: Lady Blackjack
Title: ?
Class: Soldier
Level: 11
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 21
Status: Healthy, Bemused, Cocky
Romance Rating: 42
Corruption Rating: 88
Known Traits
[?]
[Prefers the Gals] Romance Values for all males is reduced by 50%
[?]
[Knows the Buttons] You know what the ladies like. +25% to all sexual stats when with another woman
Very little is known about the woman that would become Lady Blackjack, but it's speculated that she was sexually abused by her aunts and older female cousins since a young age. For better or worse a taste for women remain, but also a desire for control over them and to never be controlled again. As such, she loves working for slavers. It doesn't hurt the pay is good, also.
(-)
Name: Wesland Chained
Title: ?
Class: Warlord
Level: 30
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 17
Status: Healthy, Sad, Scared
Known Traits
[?]
[Collar Under The Skin] He says jump. You jump as high as you can. +5% all stats when under your master's orders
[?]
Sold by his father into slavery to pay for drinking debts, he was beaten, trained and forged into a gladiator until he was bought by Sir John Mandeville. Since then he's been a bodyguard who does whatever is asked; no matter how cruel.
(-)
What a fun bunch. What really unnerved me was their titles.
Or rather the lack of them. I've never had Observe give me an utter blank before on someone's title. I had no idea why, but it was ringing an alarm bell in my head.
The escorts ranged from level seven to level nine. These guys were no joke. The manor's guards were about the grounds, however; levels six to nine. Gregory and Sora backing me meant that if something happened I could comfortably challenge them; but I had to be careful. I stopped about five feet from the old merchant, crossing my arms. "Mandeville. You're looking well, given your age."
"Noxdecus. I was expecting to see your father, but I suppose you'll do." He snipped. I saw the look in his eye and I held back a chill.
He knew they were gone. I guess he's feeling bold because of that.
"Well, I was hoping to find pleasant company, but I suppose you'll do." I shot back. He huffed, his lips twitching towards a smirk but held it back to maintain a passive look. "Now that the pleasantries are aside, you're a long way from home, you have no business in Mungale as far as I know, and your buddies are further to the east. I have no reason to like you, and you have no reason to like me. So then let's just cut to the chase; what do you want?"
"Your halfling maid, Riri. I bought her sometime ago in Elddale." He said, extending his hand, smirking openly to me now. "Please, surrender to me a-"
"No." I said sternly.
"I don't think you understand, you see-"
"No." I repeated.
He sneered at me now, huffing. "Balanar's and Elddale's laws applies to slaves regardless of where they are."
"Funny. Mungale doesn't recognize people as slaves, so I guess it doesn't matter here." I said, crossing my arms. "So, are you going to leave or would you like a guide? I know your eyes must be failing you at that age." He was annoyed by my insult, but wasn't losing his cool. He huffed once more, the annoyance seeming to wash off of him at that.
"Listen boy, you don't want to start this with me." He warned me with a sneer.
I took a step into him, leaning over to be eye level with the five-eight man. The men (And woman) flanking him shifted, but clearly wasn't about to attack. "I'm not starting anything. But you can be damn well I'll finish anything you start."
He moved his hands, holding his cane by the shaft and tapping my chest with the horn shaped handle. "You will surrender Riri to me, whether you like it or-"
I grabbed the handle of his cane, leaning onto it and letting it press into the ground, leaning further into him. His escort shifted once more. As I spoke softly but firmly. "I will not surrender anyone to the likes of you, old man. I'd tell you in which ways you should go off an fuck yourself but that would require..." I let my eyes drop down his body as I finally saw his face twist, if only slightly in anger. "...Working equipment." I could help but give him a bit of a smug look, his anger showing even more at it.
"Wesland!" He barked out loudly. The titan then moved, pulling a fist back faster then I could register the motion and-
Then he flinched as a knife cut him on the cheek from Sora as Gregory was ready to rush in, sword drawing out into the sun and pulling it back as he howled out. I could see everyone about to fight and I held a hand up and bellowed out. "HOLD!" Everyone paused; even Wesland rubbed at his cheek rather then carry on his attempted assault. I looked right into Mandeville's eyes as he glared back. "You have two choices right now, old man. You can leave under your own power, or in a pine box." I told him firmly. Gregory was glaring at Wesland who glared back but trembled softly in his armor. "What'll it be?"
"...Humph. Well then. I tried to be reasonable." The old geezer lifted a hand and gestured, his escort flanking as he turned to walk to his carriage, moving aside to let him pass. "I assure you, this isn't over, boy." He said over his shoulder to me.
"I assure you..." I said, glaring back at him. "I'll finish it, old man." His escort turned to join him, Brendon mounting his horse as Blackjack and Wesland moved into the carriage. Nothing else was said as his drivers guided his vehicle out of the manor grounds. I could see two wagons and more riders move to follow once past the outer gates.
Finally once they were gone I felt like I lost my energy and slumped a bit, Gregory's hand on my shoulder was the only reason I didn't land on my ass. "Fine show, my boy! You told him off good and proper!"
"I agree." Sora said, smiling as she grabbed my other shoulder. "Your father would be proud."
"Thanks..." Finally I managed to get my legs under me once more, supporting myself. Before anything else could be said or done Miria had grabbed onto me once I turned about, hugging me hard. I could see Aeris behind her, smiling with a grin. Makoto's soft smile was added as she nodded to me. "Okay. Sora, tell Riri I want her to not leave the manor for awhile. We'll meet in my father's office in an hour. And someone get me some tea to calm my nerves."
There a soft bit of laughter, but I wasn't playing it up; Mandeville had given me a bit of a chill, and Wesland... Yeah, he spooked me worse then I cared to admit; and not just with how fast he was.
Worse, this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
[-]
Some three cups of tea later I was sitting at my father's office. Once my nerves were settled I got to work, rolling a map out and setting down a compass. The map was of Mungale with some bits of it's neighbors. I then shut my eyes, nodded and set a pawn to mark a point on the map once I opened them once more. I had prepared something else while I was there, having an idea of what to do but not how to pull it off yet. I set my elbows on the desk and folded my hands under my chin as I tapped my foot. I was planning things out in my head; I knew how I wanted to play this but I couldn't do it alone.
Thankfully I wouldn't have to, I knew that. Sora and Riri arrived first, just before the time I set to meet. I gave them a smile (Riri most of all) but couldn't help but notice that Riri was clinging to Sora's arm like a small child. She was clearly terrified about what could happen to her with Mandeville around. Given the old man's reputation, I can't say I blame her. Miria arrived next and clapped Riri's shoulder as she moved to a seat across from the desk, sitting down into in and giving me a smile. I think Miria was the only one who knew how off balance Mandeville and Wesland had made me. Maybe Sora, but mostly Miria.
Aeris and Makoto arrived together. Aeris' staff turned horizontal as she sat on it hands resting on it's shaft. Makoto stood a bit to the side, hands folded in her lap as she stood with shoulder width apart as she straightened her back out, trying to project power across the room, as if that would support everyone else in the room by itself.
The time of meeting passed and I waited. And then I looked about, almost squirming. Nearly ten minutes late Gregory finally arrived. I looked to him, feeling more relieved then I cared to admit. "You're late." I said simply as he chuckled at me.
"Apologies, M'boy. I took the liberty of sending out a couple of our scouts after the bastards and see what they're up to." He said, moving to stand in the center of the room, directly across from me. "I've a report."
Oh. Why didn't I think of that?
"Good thinking, Gregory. Well then, don't keep me in suspense here. What's he doing?" I asked, tapping my fingers together. I knew where Mandeville was going, but he might know something I don't.
"Bastard took flight to the west. My scouts weren't able to follow too far before having to break off, lest they be spotted by them, but one of their number, the red-eyed man? The one with the weird eye? He double backed not that long ago to Argon." Now that I didn't know. I nodded and tapped my chin.
"By the looks of things Mandeville is setting up shop in Calfield." I said, tapping a pawn chess piece I'd set on the map not too long ago. Everyone blinked at me in surprise. "If the distance I have with my tracking spell is right, that is."
"The tracking spell, how did you..." Miria began as she looked at me before grinning, pointing to me as she leaned forwards in her seat. "You put it on his cane!" I smiled to my sister and nodded; she got it in one. "You sly bastard!"
"Anyway, before anything else we need to know what we're up against." I began, looking about. "Mandeville is a big time merchant down south. Brothels mainly, but has his fingers in a lot of things. I don't know him directly, but I've been told a lot about him. He won't back down easily. We'll need to deliver more then a bloody nose to make him back off. He's shrewd and not an idiot, but based on what I've been told, taken with a grain of salt of course, is that he can be a little arrogant. If we can play to that we might goad him to making a mistake."
"I know nothing of his larger body guard, this Wesland." Gregory let of, huffing softly. "But the other two I have heard of; Lady Blackjack and Brendon Lightstep. They're both well known for working as slave hunters; mostly dealing with escaped slaves." Everyone bristled at that, but he kept going. "I know Lady Blackjack has been involved in some very shady business dealings, but likes to have 'fun' with the slaves she catches. The female ones." He scoffed; I don't think he saw how Riri shivered at what he said. "Lightstep meanwhile is a true mercenary; he's in it for the coin. He doesn't care what he does or for who; if the money is good then he's for hire."
"Oh, he sounds like a wonderful man. Upstanding citizen." I said, my voice dripping sarcasm onto the desk. I'd have to ask Sora to wipe it up later. "Well, I have something we can do with Lightstep. He's in town you said?" Gregory nodded once. "Good. I've prepared a little thing that'll help us. I'll need one of your best undercover men to help with it; I'll explain more later. First we need to talk about getting initiative on the situation."
"So, we're going to march over to him and crack his skull wide open, huh?" Miria let off, smacking a fist to her palm... As I shook my head. As much as I wanted to do that...
"Bad idea. Ignoring the issues of us publicly waging war on a foreign merchant there's the fact that he's very well connected." I began to explain. "If he were to die in Mungale, well, we'd have a lot of people breathing down our necks. Not just the man's family but his allies and business partners. Even if that didn't blow up in our faces right away it would just be a matter of time." I looked about the room. Everyone had their own expression, Riri's the one I focused on most. She was still scared, it was easy to see that. "The problem here is we can't act first. But I think we can respond first. If we can figure out his plan, bait him into an action we can counter punch him hard."
"But we don't know what his plan is." Aeris said, tapping her foot on the ground, her staff holding her up as she sat on it. The others seemed to agree with her as well. I nodded softly as I grin. Maybe, but...
"I think I do." I replied, leaning in. Everyone seemed surprised by my declaration of knowledge. "A beast-man merchant told me a story about how Mandeville got an escaped slave back once. She had married a knight and he clearly wasn't going to give her up... So that old man arranged for a disturbance the knight had to respond to, kidnapped him and forced his wife to choose his fate; his life for her return. She left with him." There were horrified looks around me; Riri's the stand out but Sora's wasn't far behind. "I bet his plan is to lure me out, likely near Calfield. Likely there will be some event or invite that I'll have to answer as the acting lord and he'll put a blade to my neck." I smiled reassuringly as I held a finger up. "But if my little prep work pays off we'll get a leg up. And to do that we have to make him change his plans. Lightstep being in Argon is a good way to do that. But first... Riri." I said, looking to my maid who stiffened slightly.
"M-Master." She said, shuffling nervously. Her eyes were close to give out tears and she was still shaking like a leaf. I stood and moved around the desk moving before her and kneeling to be closer to her level.
"How are you holding up?" I asked her. Despite her appearance she was an adult, but was shivering like a scared child. I didn't blame her at all; that damned old man...
"I... I... I'm scared. I don't... I don't wanna go back to that. I'd rather die!" She let off, the tears starting to flow as I grabbed her pulling her into a hug, rubbing her back firmly.
"You're not going back to slavery, and you're not going to a grave either." I told her stroking her hair to comfort her, trying to hush her softly, kissing her temple. "I'm not about to let that happen. But to stop what he's doing I will need to put you at risk. I know you're scared, but when it comes time you can't show it." I finally pulled away, giving her my warm smile as I held her by the shoulders. "If we're to bait them then we'll need you to be the bait. But I promise, when they come to bite they'll only get the hook."
"Well said, m'boy!" Gregory smiled nodding. Sora smiled too me, still nervous looking as I stood up. Riri rubbed at her eyes and nodded, sucking in a breath as she tried to compose herself. I hoped once I started to explain things she'd feel a bit braver about what would happen.
"Miria, Aeris, Riri, we're going to the guild for a goblin job tomorrow. Makoto, I'd like you to join our little party." Each of the girls nodded, even Makoto and Riri (Who, adorably, was still trying to wipe away her tears) as I stood up. "If we're to bait them we need to give them a normal routine to 'exploit'." I said, rubbing my hands together. "As for your man, Gregory..." I said reaching into my pocket. "Here's what I need him to do.
I showed him what I had and told him what it did. Following that I started to outline my current plan.
We discussed the details for over an hour before the meeting ended. I was feeling good about our chances.
That old man wouldn't know what hit him.
[-]
Brendon walked along an alley next to Argon's main street, humming a bit to himself as he went about his work. Mandeville was doing his job, making sure the lord's 'invite' will be ready. Brendon chuckled to himself with a smirk. It was going to be an easy payday as far as he was considered; the best kind. He was about to step out of the alley when someone bumped into him. "Hey! Watch it asshole!" The man let off, huffing as he walked off.
"Watch it yourself!" It wasn't worth it to go and teach the man manners; no money in it. He took a step and paused, finding something was under his foot. "Huh, what's this?" He leaned down after moving his foot and picked something up; it was a ring. Made of brass with a carved pattern set into it and with three, small, white spell stones set into it. "A magic ring, eh? Well, well... That bastard must have dropped it. Mine now." He pocketed it with a chuckle. Until he could find an appraiser he wouldn't use it, but it could be useful down the line.
He could sell it, if nothing else, once he was in a bigger city. Really, compared to a lot of places Argon was a backwater.
He went about and kept up on his work, scouting the city for any useful information. He trolled the bars and taverns mostly. Few interesting tidbits to learn, as always. Mostly on what the Noxdecus brat's abilities were; the better to counter them.
About forty odd minutes later he was about to step out of the alley only to see something and step back into a shadow, pressing himself to a wall.
Normally a non-mage couldn't use a spell stone's effects, but with it implanted in his body he could control the one in his eye socket.
How he lost his eye was a tale he liked to embellish; usually claiming a dire struggle with a orc, usually telling the tale in exchange for drinks. In actuality he was running from a man's bedroom where he was having fun with said man's wife and escaped him... Only to fall and slice his face on a metal bit sticking out of a fallen sign.
Too embarrassing to talk about, really.
He used the eye's ability to zoom in as he gawked. "You serious?" He hissed out softly. There was the goddess damned lordling, the elf slut and mongrel girl in tow, plus the half-runt slave and the prudish looking, eastern swordswoman. He was wondering why they were willing to set foot outside of the manor, let alone to the town. He moved closer as they could be heard talking to each other. He moved as close as he could, and leaned in to hear better.
"Really, that's the solution?" The elf bitch let off to the baron's bastard son.
"Yeah. It's plain they'll just try and lure me out to Calfield or the like, so whatever it is we invite them to the manor instead. Tell them there's an issue, can't leave too far from Argon. They'll buy it." The lordling let off.
Fuck. He knew the plan. How did he figure out the plan?
"Mandeville won't hang out over there forever after all. He'll get bored or it'll stop being worth his time or the like. There's a timer on how long he can stick around and he knows it."
Brendon frowned deeply. That... Wasn't wrong. Mandeville didn't want to risk acting with the Baron around; he was a tricky bastard. And the Baroness had a scary reputation; supposedly split two ogres in half with one strike.
Cocky kid though...
"So, we just... Wait him out?" The half-runt slave let off as they walked on. The rouge did his best to follow discreetly as they moved to the guild. "That's it?"
"That's it." The brat let off. Brendon felt his eyebrow twitch and stopped as the group moved into the guild building.
"Shit. I got more work to do." He let off, moving off to another tavern. He had a man to find. "So much for an easy payday. Just my luck." He spat out.
Watching from a rooftop a woman clad in a tight, dark purple leather outfit watched him. It was form hugging to her dusky skin, had a mesh panel over her abs that reached up between her heavy and huge tits and another panel over the back. A set of black boots were over each foot up to the knee, purple gloves over each hand and bracers on each forearm up the the elbow. A matching, cloth mask was wrapped about her head, long white hair sticking from the back. She slid down the roof and softly leaped into the back alley, landing with ease as the man who bumped into Brendon earlier waited for her. "Well Sora?"
Under the mask the half dark elf smiled. "The game is a foot."
[ - Author's Note - ]
I had intended to get a bit more out, but the chapter was running long as it was. I figured it could get over-sized if I added the next scene I had in mind. Well, that's life.
Let me know if you have an idea about what James' plan is; it'll be fun to see how many people get close to the mark or even hit it. Post a review with what you think the plan is.
I'm glad there's been a lot of good comments on the story so far. Yes, there have been some that have been unpleasant (A Guest Reviewer on ff-dot-net gave one saying 'Oh great, another shit sex fic.' on the first chapter, so clearly didn't bother to read much of it) the bulk has been positive and there has been some honest, good criticism. Please don't be afraid to give honest, constructive criticism as it can help me improve my writing. I am enjoying writing this story, time consuming as it can be.
Until next time, viewers!
I need a nickname for my fans I think, something catchy... I'll think about it later.
~~Eostian Scribe