Eostia: Harem Quest

by EostianScribe

The Gods have given mortals the power of The Gamer as a pass time. A hobby. A means to compete and relax. One goddess, however, sees it as a means of salvation; starting with one world. As such, she rolls the dice... (Harem, Citrus and Eventual Dark Content Warning)

43. Act II-Ch XXI: Make Lust Not War

[ - Author's Note - ]

Well here we are; the last chapter in Geofu for Act Two. One more Interlude chapter and we'll be in Ken to see Celestine. Until then we'll have another fun, relaxed chapter before we get back into the more serious parts of the story. Entering Ken will mark the half way point of the second act, which is already longer then I expected it to be. Hell of a road trip.

Anyway, we'll have a brief stop in at Sual before moving to Forestside and give you the other odd duck of Geofu's territories. Although not as odd as Halka and the Adelles.

Snap, Snap.

On another note, we've gotten over four hundred thousand views on FFDotNet. This chapter will also bring us over six hundred and fifty thousand words; another small milestone. We're also just shy of sixty thousand views on AO3 with over three hundred and fifty kudos and over eight hundred comments. Of course it counts my replies to comments and people's replies to my replies so take it for what it's worth.

Anyway, onto the chapter...

[ - Act II - Chapter XXI: Make Lust Not War - ]

South and southeast of the Dominion of Geofu, Sual was once an important base of operations for the Imperium's military in it's early years. As their territory expanded this importance reduced but it was still considered a rally point and major hub for supplies and personnel heading southwards. As the First Age of Conflict wore on it's importance was restored as it was a shield for the capital. The Battle of Kindle Fields, according to records, was a turning point in which allowed the Imperium to survive the age. General Victor Regulus' victory despite bad odds is said to have made several members of Imperium nobility and upper classes to name their sons 'Victor' in his honor, to the point the name is still popular with Eostian and Balanarian nobility today. Regulus would be granted the territory as payment and reward for his deeds and his descendant would defend it fiercely when Verlangen attempted to conquer the Imperium remnant and would be slain trying to fight the future Brazen Emperor in a one on one duel.

Sual would be transferred to one of Verlangen's commanders, Hector Urgon. His descendant, Jeremy Urgon, was called upon to assist in the Battle of Arndale but was unable to respond; one of his own underlings, Peter Goldberg, had rebelled against him (Not the Brazen Empire, just Urgon) and the small civil war that would result in his territory would keep him occupied well after the Battle of Arndale was finished. When Joanna of the White Cloth launched her conquest to end the Wars of Succession Peter Goldberg pledged to support her cause if she assisted his. She agreed and when the Aegis Accords were signed he was declared as the Baron of Sual. House Goldberg would rule Sual as a slave state for fifteen hundred years, surviving the pox but losing the bulk of it's heirs to the Garan conflict. House Goldberg's one remaining heir was a daughter of the house, Kalindra Goldberg Hawkeye who had married into House Hawkeye; a line of notable knights of the time.

Despite her fathers attempts to find another suitable heir in the end House Hawkeye came to rule when an illness forced him to abdicate and watch on as they ended slavery over the course of three years; the sole exception being two slaves that he was allowed to keep and have attend to him in his final days and who were freed once he passed on. House Hawkeye would continue the martial traditions of Sual under their own motto.

'Courage is not the absence of fear but the conquest of it!'

~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia

[-]

The land of Sual was mostly flat grasslands, although with hills so soft and gentle it was hard to notice. We were going downhill for a while now, but it wasn't at much of a decline. We could see a forest off in the distance on one side, a mother/foal pair of grazing deer off the side of the road and an old, ruined keep; likely an Imperium era watchtower of some form. The road was well maintained and you could see the odd, more modern, watchtower along the way; mostly wooden ones but the odd stone one. Eventually Sual's capital city came into view; Greenmarch City. The whole city was surrounded by a large, sixty foot tall wall; a leftover of the Unitum Imperium I was sure. The stone was whitewashed plain and pure white with a few towers littered here and there. The gate bore heavy, metal doors with raised lines on it, likely adding more strength. Painted into the stone over the gate was the local lord's banner.

The banner bore a dark red outline with flat sides coming down at forty five degree angles on the bottom. On the top they would come down and inwards in forty five degree angles, then back up making three points on the top with the center point being shorter then the others. The inside of it was dark gray with three chevrons with thick outlines around gold centers; the bottom and bottom bore dark red outlines and the center was a brighter red. Under them and inside the bottom point was a pair of crossed, gold spreads with red outlines; one dark red and one brighter red. A simple yet striking shield, in my opinion.

We would ride through the gate and into the city proper. There was a brief debate on bypassing Greenmarch and going straight to Forestside, but Claudia was the one to point out we'd need the rest sooner or later, and more importantly that the rumors of the rulers of the Barony of Forestside, House Erotique, was more accurate then one might expect. Given how accurate the rumors of Classa turned out to be I think the rest was needed. If nothing else it was getting deeper into the afternoon so a stop here wouldn't lose us much time.

Like many Imperium era cities it bore a castle within the walls; in fact there was a second layer inside the first set separating the nobility district from the rest of the city, with the castle in the center with another set of walls around that. The inner walls, in terms of size, matched the outer ones save footprint. We were able to travel straight to the castle and it was nothing too fancy; a wide, tall keep with four towers in each corner, the Hawkeye Banner hanging off of each.

We would disembark and step in, quickly greeted by the Castle's Head Butler, an older man with a long, white mustache that dipped down to shoulder level who let us to a sitting room. Several maids would serve us tea and snacks as we awaited the local Baroness. Idle chatter would follow for the better part of twenty minutes before the door opened with the clanking of heavy armor as I turned and blinked, looking at the person walking in. And when I say heavy armor, I mean heavy armor.

She was coated head to toe in steel, plate armor and I could feel enchantments on it; the armor could have even been a mythril steel alloy as well. There was an armored panel on her right hip but the one on the left wasn't matching; it was a brass trimmed one shaped like a hawk's head with a brass beak with swooping wings going down then turning out. The gauntlets were trimmed with brass as well, but the pauldrons looked like steel hawks perching there with brass beaks and spread wings, a red cape flowing from under them and behind her. Her helm was fully covering her head, beyond the raised visor with the top pushing against a plumage of red feathers sticking out of the top. At her hip was a sheathe for a sword what was at least three times as wide as normal.

She stood an impressive six foot four, and had a few locks of reddish brown hair over her forehead, pretty, serious and commanding blue-green eyes, a hint of pink lipstick and... little else. Of course as she was covered in metal armor I couldn't tell anything of her body type, breast size, level of fitness or anything beyond this woman must have been strong to wear such a heavy suit of armor with casual comfort. I assumed she was the knight commander of the castle then?

"Ah, Baroness Hawkeye. Pleasure to see you once more." Claudia said warmly as she stood and looked to the woman.

Wait...

This was the baroness!?

(-)

Name: Avice Hawkeye
Title: Knight Baroness of Sual
Class: Knight
Level: 41
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 39
Status: Healthy, Serious, Calm

Romance Rating: 77
Corruption Rating: 7

Known Traits
[Steelclad] You wear any metal armor like you were born in it. +15% bonus to all Resistances for Chain Mail, Scale Mail, Splint Mail and Plate Mail. Additionally you can wear any type of metal armor.
[The Best Defense] Half of the average of your armor's defense resistances is added to your weapon's damage bonus

[Sword Master] You are a master of any sword set to your hand. +2 Damage to all one handed swords in your use, +4 Damage to all two handed swords in your use.

[Secret Romantic] You try and hide it or deny it but you are more interested in romance then you care to admit. Gain Romance Values for someone you desire at a higher rate then normal

Since a young age Avice has seen martial discipline, chivalry and honor as ideals any leader must strive for; and is often disappointed in her peers when they fail to meet the standards she holds herself to. She originally desired to lead the Dawn Templars but Claudia Levantine took the command becoming a rival to Avice; eventually a friendly one. She's one of the few people in Eostia to claim a victory over Claudia Levantine, if only one.

(-)

"You know, you can wear something other then armor, right Avice?" Claudia said as she and the baroness shook hands once more. "I mean as comfortable as mine is I'm not clad in metal every day, each day, all day."

Must have been a cleaning spell on that thing among others; I couldn't imagine one not being in it. I mean unlike mana armor, metal doesn't breathe. Avice was about to speak but another voice cut in.

"Mooooom, you promised we'd go into town and shop!" I heard a young female tone in the voice, along with the clanging of more armor as a second figure came in and... Ummm...

It was like a five-foot tall female in thick, steel plate armor. Compared to the baroness the armor was plain and simple with a sallet style helm and a bevor under it which covered her mouth and throat, boasting a short sword at her hip in a sheathe. There wasn't an inch of skin visible and all that could be seen of the woman in it was blonde hair hanging out to just past shoulder level.

"Ah, yes. Forgive me Brunilda; we do have guests to greet first." Her mother said as she nodded to her as she looked to us. "Ah yes, this is my heiress and twelve year old daughter, Brunilda."

...

...

"Your... twelve year old daughter... wears a full suit of armor?" Lorcan let off, stealing the words from my mouth.

"Best to get them started young." Avice said as I pinched my own nose. I was about to say something when she spoke once more. "I was wearing a suit when I was eight."

...

...

I'm... I'm not gonna ask. Not going to ask... Just... not going to ask.

Claudia made introductions for us as I recovered from my surprise and shock as I used Observe on Brunilda.

(-)

Name: Brunilda Hawkeye
Title: Preteen Heiress Knight of Sual
Class: Fighter
Level: 1
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 47
Status: Healthy, Joyful, Happy

Romance Rating: 75
Corruption Rating: 5

Known Traits
[Ironclad] You wear any metal armor like you were born in it. +10% bonus to all Resistances for Chain Mail, Scale Mail, Splint Mail and Plate Mail.
[Moxie] Each time you defeat a foe in battle increase your Con, Str, End, Dex and Agi by 2%, up to eight times. This lasts up until one minute after your last fight
[?]

The only child of Avice Hawkeye, she is learning the arts of combat under her mother. Despite her young age she's proven to be an able combatant and understands the Codes of Chivalry and Honor although she's so far much more relaxed then her mother. Despite her combat training and martial discipline she still enjoys dolls, tea parties and dancing.

(-)

Yes, a twelve year old had a romance rating... I was a bit worried about that, to be honest... Thankfully Avice seemed too serious and Sual and Mungale had no close connections either for her to propose an arranged marriage; rare as those were these days.

Something to note; the Age of Consent in Eostia was twelve despite efforts from multiple High Kings and Queens (Celestine included) to raise it; some members of the Council of Lords fought against it for various reasons; some houses still practiced arranged marriages and wanted the option to marry off young sons and daughters, others for religious reasons and a bare few on 'tradition', but even then it was for the wedding night of an arranged marriage. Of course every state had the right to set it's own Age of Consent, as long as it was higher then twelve and no higher then eighteen. The average age was fourteen or fifteen, if I recalled correctly. I wasn't aware of the Age of Consent in Sual, but you could count on one hand the amount that kept it at twelve so it was safe to say I wasn't being jumped by her.

Thank goodness for that.

And for the record the Age of Consent in Mungale is sixteen.

"Shopping will need to wait. We should get them settled in before we go shopping together, My Daughter." Avice let off and despite being covered in metal you could feel the small girl pout and restrain herself from stomping her foot, clearly disappointed as her shoulders slumped.

"Ahem." I let off as they looked at me as I smiled warmly. "In truth I was planning to see what the shops had to offer myself. We can let those who wish to settle in do so and the rest can go along with you and your daughter. I'm sure your people are able to handle such a matter without your oversight."

"Ahh... Yes, but..." The older woman let off, squirming a bit. "B-but as the hostess it's only proper to-"

"Remember that she has trustworthy people she can delegate tasks to so she can focus on other, important things." Claudia injected as she set a hand on her pauldron. "Like her child. Unlike you, myself and Klaus haven't found a good time to have one. I'm jealous you have been blessed with such a treasure." Despite the heavy armor Avice visibly puffed her chest out a bit. "Come, I think I'll come along as well." She said as Brunilda looked up at her mother, tilting her head to one side as the mother looked back.

"...I'll have Walter over see things. Let's go into town, Brun!"

"Yaaaaay!" Brunilda let off, jumping up in down in a childish manner as she cheered... Armor rattling the whole time.

The Adelles might be the oddest family I've met, but the Hawkeyes were rather odd in their own right...

[-]

In the end our group going into town consisted of myself, the Hawkeyes, Claudia and Klaus, Miria, Ur'kara and Aeris. The rest opted to stay at the castle; Makoto opting to train with the local guard once she was sure we'd have a proper guard; six knights all in all. Then again, hiding behind Avice was a viable option in case of attack; I imagined she could stop a charging bull with a tackle of her own with how heavy her armor was. Riri, meanwhile, claimed she wanted to finish a book she was reading which was fine.

The merchant district was lively, even late into the afternoon. Buildings were whitewashed but with painted trims and doors with colorful patterned cloths hanging over the windows (Not a curtain, the bottoms of the cloth brushed the top of the windows) with wooden signs hanging to declare the name and purpose of the stone; some signs wrapped in a cloth that was painted to the same effect. Brunilda (Or Brun as she wanted to be called) would hold my hand like I was her brother and chattered idly with me in the manner of a younger sister... If your younger sister wore forty pounds of tempered, enchanted steel.

We'd move from store to store, visiting one of every sort; curio, general, bakery, clothing (For a hat... For Brun's teddy bear at home. Yes, seriously), and so on. And of course she'd drag me to her favorite store; Black Steel Arms.

Yes, a weapon and armor store. No, not joking. Then again how many little girls did you know that wore full plate armor like it was a sundress? By the look of the store and it's position on the main street I guessed it was a higher end weapon's store so I expected quality weapons and some enchanted ones, likely with weapon making materials as well; ingots, anvils and tools, wood and leather for shafts, handles and grips and so on.

"I wanna see if Mr. Grizz's pike is ready!" She told me, leading us in (Yes, Mr. Grizz was her teddy bear. And yes, it had it's own set of weapons. I imagine she and Tiffany would get along well, as long as we could get Tiffany to wear panties for the meeting...) as she let my hand go and trotted to the counter, her mother following after her. While she did that I moved to browse the swords. I could see why the Hawkeyes would choose a place like this; there were weapons of all types; traditional Eostian ones, Eastern, far Western one, scimitars and more. Polearms, blades, axes, bows, crossbows and even three functional firearms, all of good quality at bare minimum.

I was scanning a few weapons before stumbling over one; a Swiss Saber. Well, in my original world it was a Swiss Saber, here it was called an Elven Saber as they were the preferred sword for most high ranking and noble High Elves (And Dark Elves to a lesser degree, in fairness), namely the military commanders of the United Elven Kingdoms. It was a straight edged blade of a decent thickness, with this one having a fuller along the blade's length (A fuller being that depression in the center of some blades that ran the length of it) with a D-Guard and pommel. I knew them from my old fencing teacher who brought in an example to practice with for fun once. Unlike the blades I knew from my world this had a slightly curved handle.

Compared to a rapier like what I used a saber was more of a cutting blade without losing all of the piercing potential, at least for a straight edged one. That's not to say a saber was just a rapier-plus-one; you lost some pin-point precision as the weight's balance was different and not as close to the pommel and the rapier's thinner blade was better for punching into the fibers of Gambeson and through chain mail. I would say that you lost a bit of thrusting potential and control for better cutting power.

I took a moment to scan this one.

(-)

Name: High Quality High Elven Saber
Type: One Handed Sword - Saber/Rapier
Stats: None
Damage Bonuses: +10 Piercing, +7 Slashing
Buy Value: 12 Gold
Sell Value: 3 Gold, 4 Silver

A quality made High Elven Saber. The curved handle gives it an additional level of control for certain experts.

(-)

It qualified as both a rapier and a saber? Really? I mean it made some sense; the fencing styles of rapiers and sabers were similar. Oh there were some differences, doubly so if you had a curved saber, but the relations were close enough that you could transition easily enough. On a whim I looked at a straight edge cutlass. It also had a D-Guard but lacked a pommel and a fuller as well as having a wider blade. It was listed as a one handed cutlass/saber. My guess was the similarities of the blades to one another was noted by the system and earned it a hybrid rating. If so...

That gave me an idea...

Seeing the Hawkeyes at the counter I looked about and found what I was looking for; metal ingots. Metal ingots were available in a series of sizes, measured here in pounds in most weapon shops. Half pound, full pound, two pound or three pound. A normal sword took three pounds of metal to make, more or less. Well, when working with steel anyway... Of course it always depended on the blade, the smith, quality of and type of the metal. The idea was you could buy the metal and have a blacksmith (One who worked in shop or someone else from another shop) forge something custom to your liking. Iron, steel, brass, bronze and so on was present but I was curious about the rarer metals. Titanium was known, but rare and not widely available in Sererus at all. Additionally titanium has an odd property where it was resistant to magic; great if you wanted to make a shield or armor that would withstand magical attacks, less so if you wanted to use magic without it being hindered. Using magic with a titanium weapon would be like running the one hundred meter dash with a ball and chain around one leg.

Mythril, the fantasy classic of classics, was here as well; a silver metal that was lighter and stronger then steel and almost as strong as titanium, channeled magic far better then steel and was an uncommon metal. Mythril Steel was the two named metals alloyed together; at least one part mythril to three steel to three parts mythril to one steel; it wasn't as strong or conductive as pure mythril but it was cheaper. Alicia's sword, Sky Splitter, was made from pure mythril as an example. Even without any enchantment it was a hell of a metal. A lot of nobility who could afford it would have such weapons forged and passed down the family lineage; I think Claudia's sword was one such blade as well although it had no name that I knew of.

The best metal available in the known world, however, was orichalcum, also called goldsteel, also called holysteel, also called blessedsteel. And yes, none of the nicknames had spaces, awkward as blessedsteel was to read It weighted slightly less then steel but was comparable in weight, boasted double the strength of titanium and had the same magical conductivity as mythril, although some claimed greater. The downside was it was rare, as you'd expect, mined in few places and didn't mix with other metals so it couldn't be made into an alloy; at least until someone managed that hurdle.

Titanium ingots weren't here, nor was there much pure mythril; a trio of ingots. There was mythril steel ingots of various grades (Called one quarter, one half and three quarter) priced in rising costs with less then a dozen each save for one quarter of which there was two dozen. For a moment I thought there wasn't a hint of orichalcum in the building before seeing it; a single, lone three pound ingot tucked on a higher shelf (Likely so the store owner could keep an eye on it; it was rare and highly valuable after all), next to a pair of one pound and a single two pound ingot and scanned the lone three pound one with Observe.

(-)

Name: Orichalcum Ingot - 3lbs
Type: Metal Ingot
Stats: N/A
Damage Bonuses: N/A
Buy Value: 30 Platinum, 50 Gold
Sell Value: 14 Platinum, 50 Gold

Possibly the rarest metal in the known world, most Legendary and Relic Weapons and Armor use this metal in their construction. It's considered a very difficult and challenging metal to work with, even for the best of blacksmiths. This metal requires proper facilities to forge or cast correctly. All weapons made with this metal gain +3 to all damage. All armor and shields made with this metal gains a +3 to all physical defenses.

(-)

Hmm...

Well, I bet I knew a blacksmith of the proper skill level to handle it. It was pricey as hell but if I could have a weapon made from it then it could be a huge help. Doubly so if I used one of the better spell stones I got from the raid on the Red Fang Tribe's Lair in it. The question is this; was the investment worth the possible outcome?

Considering what I was up against, yes, yes it was...

Of course if I had any other master of the forge make a weapon for me aside from who I was thinking of then I'd likely be charged another two hundred and fifty odd platinum or more for the work. No, really. Orichalcum is hard to work with; when comparing it to steel, as an example, it's forging temperature was four times higher meaning that not only did you need a very powerful (Often magically powered) forge to use the blacksmith working the metal needed some form of heat protection beyond just a thick apron to keep him or herself from cooking in the heat; often magical protection. On top of that orichalcum cooled twice as fast as steel, meaning that the time you had to work on it at it's ideal working temperature was much shorter as well, often leading to these blacksmiths to work on heated anvils that were, you guessed it, magically powered to extend that work time.

And then even at it's working temperature it needed to be struck with more force to shape; often leading to hammers three times as heavy as normal being used or magically enhanced ones. And then there was the fact that you couldn't quench the blade normally; oil quenching would lead to cracks and compromise the structure of the blade and water quenching would likely crack and warp the blade hard; orichalcum had to be cooled inside the forge as it was slowly and gradually cooled off by lowering the temperature inside of the forge itself and then once it was low enough in heat it could be quenched in oil... And even then the oil had to be heated to the right temperature...

Needless to say just finding someone equipped to work on the stuff was a pain in the ass and these few were master forgers who could demand just short of any price they wanted for their work. I just had to hope who I planned on asking would be up to the task without taking me out to the cleaners...

There was a surprise when I brought the ingot to the counter but when I explained my plan to Claudia she assured me that, yes, I made the right choice of smith. I started with just over fifty two platinum; now it was closer to twenty one and a half. I was sure it would pay off down the line, however.

[-]

Forestside is... Weird. It was a part of the Unitum Imperium until the end of the First Age of Conflict, known at the time as Forestglade. The Baron of Forestglade at the time wanted to break away from the Imperium and as war torn as everyone at the time no one wanted yet another battle to erupt. Instead Baron Boxson Erotique then laid down a duel for the freedom of his realm to the Imperium and that they should send quote 'their manliest of men'. General Harold Patterson answered the call and the two worked over the terms of the duel... Only for Patterson to find that the duel wasn't in combat but in sex. The first to make twenty women of their choice climax was to win, with Patterson allowed to import anyone he wanted to make sure the duel was fair.

According to the tale as it is told Boxson would win beating his foe by two minutes with Harold Patterson honorably sticking to his word and not challenging Forestglade's exit from the Imperium. A century later as Verlangen mounted his conquest of the realm the then leader of Forestglade, Baron Jason Erotique, knew his armies wouldn't be able to stand against the coming tide Verlangen led and issued a likewise challenge as had been laid down to the Imperium; his service if defeated and Forestglade's safety if victorious. Interestingly Verlangen accepted the challenge. And won.

Distraught and defeated Jason pledged his loyalty, if begrudgingly so, to the new emperor which led Forestglade to become part of the Empire without a fight. It was here that Forestglade as it was came to an end; Verlangen took it's western half from House Erotique and combined it with another state to form Ironsand, which would later grow and become the Duchy of Anvil, re-dubbing Forestglade as Foreestside. When Verlangen fell Micheal Erotique decided that their family's pledge did not apply to his crumbling empire and was glad to join Joanna's Eostia, although not before reclaiming a piece of their divided realm from Anvil during the Wars of Succession, the segment reclaimed helping given the territory it's anvil shape.

House Erotique has always prided themselves on their sexual abilities and the attractiveness of themselves, their people and will, at times, use sexual based duels to settle disputes as opposed to duels with weapons or spells. Indeed it was a sexual duel between brothers Victor and Hammond Erotique that led to the end of slavery in Forestside; the brothers with twenty female slaves and slave supporting women each to decide the fate of the practice in their realm. Victor won decisively by nine women; each of Hammond's slaves refusing to allow themselves to climax to gain their freedom. Rumor says one of Hammond's girls did come but was able to hide it, so determined was she for freedom. Hammond would keep Forestside as an abolitionist state over the objections of the Traditionalists of Eostia; even after he became Baron.

Today Forestside is the most sexually open territory of Eostia and perhaps of all of Sererus. Unlike in many territories public sex isn't banned; so long as it's not barring anyone's path. The motto of House Erotique puts it best.

'Love is free to give, free to receive and grows bonds like nothing else.'

If Forestside promotes love or lust can be decided by those who visit.

~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia

[-]

Before we reached the borders of Forestside Klaus and Claudia pulled us all aside and laid things out for us. As the Shield Princess of Geofu Claudia was expected to know the Dominion well and be on at least speaking terms with all of their local lords and most of the minor ones. That included the previously met House Adelle... And the one we'd meet soon, House Erotique.

Turns out the name Erotique was rather accurate...

The Barony's ruling couple was very open to sex to the point the prudish Aeris was turning white from the description and Claudia warned us that we would likely be pulled into sex with someone (So long as consent was given, of course) and most assuredly see others in coitus. I knew Forestside had a reputation for being very open sexually, but not this much.

Hoo-boy...

Forestside was well named; boasting dense layers of forest along it's south side on it's border with the Kingdom of Balanar. Even on our journey to it's capital, Amoureuse City,

there were plenty of small forests and large glades with trees spread about. The road was paved along a path with a bit of distance from the trees to keep bandits from easily hiding close enough to make an easy ambush.

Being a former city of the Imperium the city walls were quite well made, and the locals had ensured it's upkeep. Thick walls, some fifty or so feet tall with multiple towers along it's length. The exception was that the gate had two lengths of wall sticking out on each side with towers sticking out to greet any attacker. It was on those towers you could see the local lords banner and... Well...

It lined up with what Claudia and Klaus were saying, yeah.

The shape was a knight's shield with three rounded points on top and one rounded point on the bottom. There was two, thick outlines of color, but there were lines going down the middle, effectively splitting it in half. The left side bore a blue outside with a purple inside and it's side of the middle line while the right side had the same colors in reverse and yellow filling the background of both. A blue crown with a white, diamond with a longer bottom was set to the top of the left side, while a purple tiara was on the right side closer to the bottom; just under the center of the shield with the same diamond set into it. On the lower left of the shield was the male symbol, point facing upwards colored blue with a purple outline and the upper right bore a female symbol, point down and purple with a blue outline. That alone would be enough... But of course it wasn't left at that...

The male symbol had a... white geyser coming out of it's tip outlined in purple with it's circle filled in with white and the female symbol has a white splash expanding out from it's circle with a blue outline. There's... just not even a hint of subtlety here. I just... I just...

I better brace for impact.

Riding into the gate I noted that the walls extended inwards a bit to two more towers; meaning that breaching the gates would be a pain and even after that it would be a pain. Unlike Greenmarch City the buildings in Amoureuse City was coated in colors of all kinds with a preference for yellow with blue or purple as popular trims. White was saved, it seemed, for doors and curtains. I had us ride towards the local Adventurer's Guild; it was reaching mid-afternoon and I wanted to get that done first and foremost. Then we could visit the local lords...

For better or for worse...

I was quite sure once this one was installed, along with the one Nikita bought for Alterun, we'd have everything from Eastern Dominius, Eastern Camafran and all of Zenith covered, most of Northern Balanar and all of Feoh, Ur, Geofu and Ken; over half of Eostia. Progress was slower then I liked, but that's life at times. We would arrive at the guild building; it was set into a three story tall keep; likely a former barracks or strong point for the city in case of attack or unrest. So far nothing too unusual about the city; save that women were as a rule clad in little clothing.

By that I mean little clothing for Eostian standards. Thong's weren't usually casual wear without something over it even here, unless it was combined with mana armor.

So standard protocol of our run thus far; go in, say hello to the local administrator, introduce myself and install the booster. I was expecting it to be simple while bracing myself for something unexpected. Myself, the usual gang (And Cress) walked in and... I paused to stare and felt Miria bump into me, look around me and stare. The other girls (And Cress) moved around me to see what was going on... And stared. And in the case of Aeris, squeaked and covered her eyes.

There was four women in-coitus with three men and one other women (In the back of the room, at least). They weren't being obnoxious about it, weren't overly loud (You could hear the moaning still, of course) or flaunting it but they were clearly fucking. In public. Not caring about who saw. And while some watched everyone treated it as normal; like there were a few couples cuddling in the back.

Oh dear... When you start making Classa seem normal...

"Not from Forestside, are ya?" I heard, looking to see a counter set up by the door and manning it was an older woman; seventies or so, wearing a sleeveless, black dress with white hair tied back into a bun.

"That obvious?" I said as I walked over to her as she chuckled. Observe told me her name was Wendy Cashmere.

"Eh, not everyone gets into the ole' Forestside spirit. You're Lord Noxdecus, I take it? Seeing as the good Shield Princess is with ya." She asked as I nodded and verbally confirmed her thoughts. "Good lad. Glad to have you. I can actually call up the central guild now to talk to them directly. Reception is about as clear as a dusty window and I have to strain to hear'em, but damned if it don't work!"

"Well, all going according to plan that should clear up sometime next week or so." I told her as her eyebrows lifted up.

"Ya don't say!? Ha! Sonny boy, if I was thirty years younger I'd take you home and pop out a kid for ya! Ha!" She let off as my eyebrows twitched. "Anyway, I'll watch ya install the thing. Just don't expect me to help any; these old bones aren't what they used to be!" She let off with a chuckle as I bit back a sigh.

This is my life...

Makoto stepped out and grabbed a booster, bringing it in as we moved to the stairs. Unlike usual I didn't have to fly to the roof; this building had access to it via stairs on a mostly flat roof. We moved to a back corner of the roof and started to install it there. I had prepared to install into stone in the event that happened; Earth Mover worked best on loose dirt or sand but still worked on stone; although much slower. Still, after about ten minutes I made holes to set the screws into, dropping them into place before using Earth Mover a second time to pull the stone back into place around them, holding the screws tight and firm. Twenty five minutes or so total and we were done with the boosters for Geofu.

[(⸜∕ ) Place Booster in Forestside]

[Quest Complete: Boosting Geofu]
[Gain 3000 XP]
[+1 to All Stats]

Ahhh, XP and stats... Just what I need...

And need more of... A lot more of...

With the job done we headed back down the stairs and to the carriages after talking with the old administrator and bidding her well we stepped outside only to find a woman and three knights in full plate on horseback speaking with our own escort, all on horseback.

The knights were fairly standard in look; metal plate armor although with rounded pauldrons shaped and painted to mimic the look of the Erotique House Banner and red cloths extending under them to cover the biceps to the elbows of the arm like mini capes. By contrast the woman was clearly in mana armor; crimson with gold trim; the bikini like bottoms bore two, green spell stones where the front connected to the gold colored side straps with another strap on her right side, lifting up over her left hip and behind her. The top bore another spell stone in the center with two, diamond like, gold colored caps over where her nipples would be. Both biceps had gold colored metal jewelry over them and the forearms had crimson bracers with gold trim and the left one boasting a small shield that was curved around it. Her boots were likewise, knee high, plated and crimson and gold colored. A wide collar around her neck matched the coloration, with a small, green stone set near the bottom. A sword was set to her left hip in a sheath with two more stones; one in the center of the gold colored cross guard and one at the bottom of the handle inside of the golden pommel.

The woman in question was five-nine, bore Double D-Cup breasts and pointed ears, marking her as an Elf, half-elf I think. Orange eyes turned to us which went with wild, red locks that fell past her ass unbound save for a yellow ribbon on the right side of her head. She bore a slightly serious expression as she dismounted her steed (Clad in crimson and gold armor like she was) and looked to me. "Lord Noxdecus?" She asked as I nodded.

"I am he. And you would be...?" Likely the knight commander or the like, although I had been wrong on that before. She looked to me for a moment before striding forwards towards me. I blinked and extended my hand, expecting a handshake to be what she was planed on only for her to push my hand to the side to my surprise and, to my greater surprise, grabbed me by my clothing, pulled me in and planted a full on kiss to my lips without a hint of warning to my shock and the gawking of my group. As she pushed her tongue into my lips in my moment of disbelief she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling herself in closer while hooking my leg with one of her own, my hands grabbing her hips more on reflex then anything else.

Finally she broke the kiss with a deep, long gasp and soft blush as she gave me a warm smile. "Commander Solana Zell of the Barony of Forestside, at your service. Welcome to Amoureuse City, M'Lord. I am at your disposal for all your needs."

Holy shit, this woman just doesn't waste time, does she?

(-)

Name: Solana Zell
Title: Sultry Commander of Forestside
Class: Knight
Level: 25
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 61
Status: Healthy, Calm, Horny

Romance Rating: 107
Corruption Rating: 15

Known Traits
[The Best Defense] Half of the average of your armor's defense resistances is added to your weapon's damage bonus
[Human Sexual] Sexual Partners Gains +5 to all Sexual Stats when that partner is human

[?]
[Even The Girls Want Her] +10 attractiveness to everyone, even all other women

Born of a human father and elven mother she never knew the latter as she left her father after dropping her on his doorstep as a baby. He and his then girlfriend, later wife, raised her together as their own with her half-sister Gracie. She showed an aptitude for combat at a young age and entered the military; mostly because she knew she'd meet a lot of handsome, fit men.

(-)

Hoo boy... Winner here...

Claudia set her hands on her hips, shaking her head as Aeris' eyebrow twitched hard. Makoto was the first to recover as she stepped in, setting a hand on Solana's hand and shoved her back gently off of me as she blinked but recovered and smiled with a soft giggle. "A lover?"

"Bodyguard. Then lover." I replied as Makoto blushed as Solana nodded once.

"Ah, I see. Well, she takes her job seriously, hmm?" She said, giggling once more. "Regardless; His Lordship Bello and Her Ladyship Orabella of House Erotique have invited you and your entourage to Erotique Manor for rest and pleasure! Would you come along with us?" She said with a polite, if overly showy, bow before us.

Well, it would be rude not to...

[-]

Like most Imperium Era cities Amoureuse City bore a castle in it's walls; single layer of walls, three tiered keep. Unlike most Local Lords, however, House Erotique didn't live in the castle; instead it was used mostly by the local garrison and shared as a home by a few minor noble families. House Erotique would move in when the need arose, such as a siege, local unrest or significant threat to their lives. Instead they mostly lived in a manor near the back of the city, set atop a slight hill, said hill boasting a thirty foot, whitewashed wall at it's base and a pair of fifty foot towers on either side of the gate with a bridge connecting the two at the top for easy movement and communication.

The gates opened for our convoy and let us onto the grounds. The lawn was covered in a meadow of flowers of almost every color and a couple of trees near the corners, likely set up for shade. The manor itself was two stories tall with what seemed like an extension or expansion behind it that was a story taller, in addition to a small tower off center in the middle of the left wing that reached up a full ten stories. The walls were colored a bright yellow, the roof pure white and the trim of the windows and doors were red while the doors were made of solid, dark stained oak with the Erotique Banner carved into it, along with other, vine like designs around it. The tower, in contrast, was colored white with the crenelations at the top having alternating blue and purple colors.

We would dismount upon arrival with Solana quickly taking hold of my arm as she guided me to the door. Makoto raised an eyebrow but didn't intervene this time. We talked on the drive over and agreed while overly friendly (By far!) we needed to be aware that Forestside's culture was likely going to be along these lines and we would need some restraint to avoid offense; although I asserted that if anyone was uncomfortable with an advance to firmly and politely say no and if needed remind them that we were outsiders and aren't acclimatized to their culture.

However I was quite sure sex was coming. And lots of it. Likely Cress, Lorcan and Ur'Akara would join in on that. Miria and Makoto I'd put up in the air, Riri was likely a no and Aeris was clearly a no.

That's a girl that needed to get laid. And as much as I'd like the XP, I'm not sure I wanna be the one to do it, at least for her first time.

The head maid was the one to greet us and bid that we follow her to our hosts and moved to the rear of the manor. We naturally followed and passed through the back doors. Interestingly the extension/expansion I noticed was set up on pillars, leaving us outside and under the structure as we were guided to a stone paved terrace with plenty of seating with a large, ring table with eight missing sections to allow people to move into the center, and likely have people be seated in the center when the need arose although the only seating was outside of it at current. At what could be called the 'head' of this set up and with their backs to a massive pool surrounded on three sides by a well attended to garden was two, blonde figures. I presumed them to be our hosts and the male half of the duo was quick to set his cup down he smiled to us and stood.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. Klaus, Claudia! I do hope you enjoyed the gifts we sent!" He said, spreading his arms wide with a smile, speaking with a smooth, silky tone that came off as fully natural. "I only hope you can forgive that I was unable to attend for your birthday, Dear Claudia! You've done so much to ensure the safety of our realm and it feels like none do enough to acknowledge it."

"Nonsense, Bello." Claudia said with a chuckle and a smile, waving her hand. "If anything, I am glad to have such open support. As for the gift..." She said as a blushing Klaus coughed into his hand. "It was... Used to decent effect."

The man in question was, perhaps, six-two with waist long blonde hair and piercing, red eyes set into a very handsome face. His body wasn't overly lean but clearly fit as he smiled to us, clad in a blue jacket with a white center, trimmed with gold, decorated with red gems and golden epaulettes. He bore a matching cap, a set of white gloves and pants (As well as white, gold trimmed boots I'd see later).

(-)

Name: Bello Erotique
Title: Baron of the Bedroom
Class: Wizard
Level: 29
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 56
Status: Healthy, Aroused, Calm

Known Traits
[?]
[Tap For Mana] You know how to use magic to it's fullest. All magic costs 5% less mana.
[Like a Rabbit] For you sex is not the answer to anything. It is the question. The answer is yes. +20% to all Sexual Stats. +20% to all Pleasure Received. +25% to Ple for all sexual partners while in intercourse

[Captivating Voice] Your voice has a chance to woo the women around you. +2 Romantic Rating to women who hear you speak or sing; to a maximum of 40. Additionally your voice has a chance to woo the men around you. + 1 Romantic Rating to men who hear you speak or sing; to a maximum of 25

Considered by many to be the most handsome man in Forestside and ruling as it's current Baron, Bello Erotique has spent more time practicing marital arts then magical or martial arts. This is something that most of his lovers enjoy. He and his wife have a very open marriage; his only limits on her being to not become pregnant by another man save one instance.

(-)

"And this handsome man in blue must be James Noxdecus; news of your work has reached us here." Bello's female counterpart spoke, gesturing to the man as she looked me over. "I do hope to... Get to know you better..." She said with a giggle. By contrast her blonde hair was a bit lighter in color then her husband's that was slightly curled on their tips as warm blue eyes smiled back at us. She was clad in a purple long sleeved vest with golden colored trim and a white lace pulling it together with a silver necklace with a blue jewel in it that looked like an 'S'. (Later I would see a steel blue dress that reached under the vest with white shoes, capped with small, red rose like decorations. "As you may have guessed, this fine man is Bello Erotique, Baron of this land. And I am his wife, Orabella Erotique, it's Baroness. Please, do join us."

(-)

Name: Orabella Erotique
Title: Baroness of Coitus
Class: Scholar
Level: 25
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 65
Status: Healthy, Aroused, Joyful

Romance Rating: 97
Corruption Rating: 12

Known Traits
[Tap For Mana] You know how to use magic to it's fullest. All magic costs 5% less mana.
[Like a Rabbit] For you sex is not the answer to anything. It is the question. The answer is yes. +20% to all Sexual Stats. +20% to all Pleasure Received. +25% to Ple for all sexual partners while in intercourse

[?]
[Captivating Sappho] You have an odd charm on women. All women gain +20 Romance Rating with you and increase their Sexual Preferences by 25. In addition you have a 10% chance each day to bypass Romance Ratings to bed someone. This Trait cannot bypass other Traits that dictate sexual tastes, nor can it bypass Traits that dictate loyalty to a person(s).

Daughter of one of Forestside's minor lords she once challenged the then Heir of Forestside, Bello Erotique, to a sexual duel to test her bedroom skills. In the end she was defeated, but Bello admitted it was a close contest. He proposed marriage to her the next morning, it is said, and the pair have had a very open, very happy and very sexual marriage; she has born him two sons, a daughter and a niece as Bello's brother and wife needed someone to act as surrogate for the barren woman.

(-)

What a pair...

Invited to join we moved to sit down at the segmented table. Well, most of us moved; Solanna half led, half dragged me to a seat next to Orabella and sat by me while Makoto made a point to sit next to her. Bello called for a the head maid to send for more tea and refreshments with a smile before turning to me and asking for the specifics about the voxlux and the booster system. Naturally I began to usual spiel including the fact I was providing him with ten of the devices off the bat for his use, how it helped Mungale with it's banditry issues and so on. He smiled, nodded and smoothly asked questions as tea and snacks was served to us. Orabella, by contrast, was mostly silent. She was paying attention, clearly, but was content to sip tea and relax as the men (Myself and Bello with Klaus adding in the odd comment) talk. Either she felt she had nothing of worth to add or felt Bello was asking everything she would.

Something to note about Eostian noblewomen is that it was rare that you got a pushover or someone unable to take command; the Seven Shields Alliance was one of if not the most egalitarian place on Sererus. Sure, there was still a tendency for men to be the preferred warriors, military commanders, leaders and so on but no questioned a woman's ability in these fields. Hell, the current ruler of the Alliance was a woman with eight centuries of experience under her belt. That said, there were more then a few noblewomen who were content to let the men lead and stay out of the way but were still more then able to lead when called upon and fight when threatened. I know the Japanese had a term for this, naming this sort of woman after a wildflower. In Eostia these women were called 'Steel Swans'; beautiful, graceful and seemingly peaceful and at ease... Until they, their loved ones and especially their children are threatened at which point they become very violent and very ruthless. Much like the animal in question.

No really, don't fuck with swans.

It wasn't until the talk of the voxlux died down she finally spoke up once more. "So, shall you stay for our party, James?"

"Umm, party, M'Lady?"

"Please, call me Orabella. Or Bella, if you prefer." She said in reply with a giggle. "Although some prefer Ora; Bella and Bello do sound a bit alike... But regardless, we are having a party tomorrow night. No clothing, sexually open. Everyone can lay with everyone willing to do so." Yup... I figured it was coming... Maybe not a party, but it was coming in some form or another. "We would be honored to have you and your escort with us."

A glance around the table showed me much of what I expected; Makoto looked rather stoic but squirmed a bit, Miria blushed and squirmed in her seat and seemingly between interested and worried, Cress looked to Miria, blushed and tried not to stare at her as he looked more worried then my sister. Riri pinched her nose and counted silently as she looked annoyed but trying to swallow it, Ur'Akara perked up and Aeris' eye twitched as she looked offended. Klaus and Claudia sighed and the former shook his head with the latter looking upwards.

"Well I cannot speak for everyone, of course." I said as I looked to Klaus. "Not to mention aside from our duties I do have to let Claudia and Klaus to return to theirs; I cannot speak for them as well."

"In fairness, you are right." Bello said smoothly with a smile. "But I think you'll find yourself with time better spent here. Are you aware what is coming soon?" He asked as I looked to him for a moment. "Soon the Council of Lords will be meeting; in about twelve days."

"Oooooh..." I let off with a nod of understanding. "Well, any schedule I want to keep is being tossed out the window then..."

"Forgive me, James-sama..." Makoto said, leaning over the table as she gestured for a maid to refill her tea. "How is this meeting going to disrupt our goals?"

"As you might have guessed the Council of Lords meet now and then; usually twice a year unless something comes up that warrants a meeting." I began. "Every Local Lord is expected to attend. If he or she cannot due to illness, injury or a significant enough problem then they have someone go in their stead; often a spouse, a trusted minor lord or commander. This includes the rulers of the Seven Kingdoms... And the High Queen. And who is meant to be our next escort?"

"... High Queen Celestine herself..." Makoto said with a sigh and shake of her head. "I see..."

"Maybe we should stay..." Miria let off, coughing into her hand. "For... A week... Or two. Maybe visit Faircas; should be nice this time of year." Translation; if we go to Skyguard City there is a very real possibility the pair of us as children of a Local Lord will be dragged into the Council of Lords, sit in on the meeting and have to deal with the evil of politics...

Well, at least there was a strong chance I would be dragged into it as the Heir of Mungale; as the adopted Catalan daughter of House Noxdecus who most of the Council of Lords wouldn't want to see anyway she'd likely get to do fun things while I sat and watched a bunch of adults bicker like small children unable to decide the rules of their current game of politics.

Except only one of those people are elected, everyone else got there via birthright or some other odd tradition and more then a few saw dealing with the common man's issues as optional. I was very tempted to take Miria up on that offer... buuuuuuuuuuuuuut...

"Sadly we must discharge Claudia of her duties as soon as practicality allows; we cannot monopolize her attentions for weeks without good reason." I replied with a sigh. Even if she was willing as the Commander of the Dawn Templars she couldn't escort us forever. And besides that... "Additionally all Seven Shield Princess are expected to attend as well, unless something else demands their attentions." While they were usually just observers for the meeting of the Council of Lords the Shield Princesses positions meant they needed to know what the will of Council was. Additionally if Celestine was unable to attend then Claudia was the one expected to cover her spot; effectively becoming Acting High Queen as needed. In fact when Miria's adoption caused a stir at the Council of Lords it was Claudia in charge of it at the time. "Chances are we'd be bringing Claudia with us to Skyguard." I pointed out as Miria sighed in disappointment. "Given the situation there's no reason to decline this invite; for those that want to attend." I said looking to Aeris who gave me a soft, thankful nod. "I'll attend. Assuming my companions are invited as well-" I looked to the ruling couple who nodded with matching smiles. "-then I'll let them decide to come along or not. I'm sure Aeris won't, but I can't be sure of everyone else."

"Very good." Orabella let off, smiling as she clasped her hands together. "Ah, and as a reminder... There's a unique dress code. Any footwear you require... And nothing else."

This is me.

This is me not surprised.

[-]

For the remainder of the day we settled into our quarters. The party wasn't until the following evening, so we had a lot of time to spend. For me most of the following day was divided between a little bit of shopping and a fair bit of working. On the shopping end there wasn't anything I could use in terms of weapons, armor or equipment that I could upgrade to but I found a rather ornate chess board for a single gold in a general store. I bought it for eight silver; it would have been worth about ten gold if it came with the pieces. I had an idea for it that would be a fun project compared to the more serious ones on my plate.

Speaking of; the Erotiques was kind enough to let me use their magical facilities and I did more work on the new Darkness/Fire Blazing Weapon spell. On a whim I asked Olivia, the Gamer System's AI, about Hybrid Magic and she was able to give some information I didn't have before. It gave me a bit more of an idea on what to do and I was at the point I could test the spell out because of her. That's not to say the spell was in a usable state (I imagine my spell list would update if that happened) but it was clearly progressing.

I was adjusting the flying toy wagon as well but I reached the point I was happy and couldn't do more with it; at least on this size scale. I would need to move to mid-scale next. That would be the tricky part; without a large enough and powerful enough spell stone I wouldn't be able to do what I was aiming for. That said the ones I was given from the Red Fang Lair would do... For the mid-scale test.

For the full scale test I would need a stone larger then I could reasonably access aside from the one in Mungale Manor's Keep which wasn't being moved for this. That said if I was right then I did have a way around it but it relied on someone being able to replicate something from my old world; I checked up on the Manor's blacksmith for an update. What he said was positive; they were making headway but had a bit of a block they had to work around. Apparently my father had stumbled over their project and was adding his own assistance so I was confident things would pan out. That said he had already left Argon and was on route for Skyguard City with mother in tow; leaving my uncle Fredrick in charge for the time being.

Time well spent I slipped into a set of comfortable shoes and slipped on a robe before moving off to the party with nothing else under it. As I expected Cress, Miria, Ur'Akara, Lorcan and Makoto came along. Riri and Aeris declined, as did our escorting couple. Maids directed us up into the first floor of the extension and...

I would have expected dub step to be playing if this world had it...

The light in the room was provided by a series of spell orbs on the ceiling, each formed into more of a disk then an orb. The light was a bit dim and each corner gave off more blue light, likely for mood setting. The room bore a large, oak covered dance floor and a series of couches with coffee tables around them and in a line and by the back window was a long hot tub (Yes, really) that was about eight feet wide and some thirty five feet long. A series of tables was set up along the sides of the room. The walls were colored a rich red, the floor aside from the dance floor was yellow and very clean looking... Despite what was going on inside of it.

People were already fucking like rabbits... Some at the tables, some in the hot tub, some on the couches... It was surreal... Even on the dance floor it was clear that women danced while pressed to their men with dicks inside them. The only ones dressed were the maids attending to the guests and 'dressed' would be a stretch; they wore skirts that covered half the ass and none of the pussy and a set of black pasties with white, ruffled lace over the nipples. Speaking of, the maids collected robes near the entrance and while I was able to remain calm and collected as I surrendered mine Miria, Cress and Makoto looked like they wanted to cover themselves. Ur'Akara looked fully comfortable and her tail lifted up as she trotted off into the crowd as Lorcan moved off to a trio of women with wine glasses.

"Well, fancy meeting you lot here!" I heard someone familiar let off as I turned and saw...

"Channer?" Yup. Channer von Blitzhaus; AKA the only one of Arnold's sons I could stand and be friends with. Although to be fair, of the Blitzhaus children only he and his sister were worth befriending.

"I didn't expect you lot here." Channer let off, smiling at us. Like everyone else he was nude (Save slippers. Fuzzy, pink slippers) and while I tried not to note his dick it was sizable, if currently soft. By his side was a woman. Some five foot eleven, short, silver hair with a bit more length on the left side to the neck. Grey-blue eyes, C-Cup breasts and a body that wasn't curvy or petite; a nice middle ground. Her skin was quite clear of most blemishes. I couldn't tell if she was a younger adult who drew silver hair in this world's odd genetics lottery or an older woman who aged like fine wine. "Let me introduce to you Lady Emera Caesarea; the High Governor of Geofu."

"A pleasure, Lord Noxdecus. I've heard of your work." She said smoothly with a hint of a British accent as she smiled and moved over, shaking my hand and setting her other on my shoulder. "Channer was kind enough to speculate on how it works."

I'm meeting the leader of the Dominion of Geofu in a naked sex party...

Nothing surprises me anymore.

Well, on the sexual end of things, anyway.

(-)

Name: Emera Caesarea
Title: Open High Governor of Geofu
Class: Governor/Monk
Level: 24
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 66
Status: Healthy, Aroused, Relaxed

Romance Rating: 92
Corruption Rating: 14

Known Traits
[Iron Fist] Your fists are hardened from years of combat practice. +2% Damage to all Unarmed attacks with an additional +2% Damage to all punching attacks. Furthermore your hands and knuckles have their resistance to damage doubled.

[Kick Chick] Your kicks are well practiced and powerful. +3 Damage to all kicking and leg based attacks.

[Magnetic Presence] You inspire trust and respect in others beyond what you would normally expect.

Third child of former Count Miles Caesarea of Faircas she didn't feel the need to compete with her siblings for the title of Faircas' heir. Instead she became a bureaucrat in the Dominion of Geofu with a focus on economics and business. When Devilin Haxalon died of a stroke she ended up as the High Chancellor for six years until Bret Blackwater retired from the position of High Governor and named her as his successor. Most of her people agree she is a wise, honest ruler with an aim of uplifting the common folk and growing the middle class.

(-)

"Oh, he has?" I replied. More importantly; Channer was studying my voxlux? I guess I shouldn't be surprised; he's a fellow enchanter and would be curious in it's operations... And I can't help but think his old man would want to know it as well, and maybe even copy it. While I don't think Count Arnold would betray Eostia (At least not without being sure he could get away with it and raise his status; he could be someone the Black Storm would be interested in now that I think of it) he would want to undermine the voxlux and by proxy myself simply out of spite.

Thankfully my defenses were out of this world; literally. Emera smiled and moved to take me by my arm and started to gently but firmly pull me towards the hot tub in the back. "Please, I wish to hear more from the maker himself!" She said as I sighed.

Gee, was I going to fuck one of the leaders of the Dominion of Geofu?

This world...

[-]

"Small world, huh..?" Miria let off, hand moving to the back of her head, rubbing it as she saw the High Governor of Geofu lead her brother off. That made her wonder something...

How many of Eostia's nobility came to parties like this? Was she missing out? Should she put out to more people?

She was once more reminded of how sexually sheltered she was compared to most of her companions and her brother in particular, save Aeris and maybe Makoto. Although she never wanted to be as sexually unsheltered as Riri had been.

"You'd be surprised at who shows up in these parties." Channer told her with a shrug. "I think most of Geofu's lords have been invited time to time, Maia of the Seven at least once, King Arcturus in his younger years..." He listed off as Miria's eyes widened. "By the way, I'm glad you came. I knew you were cute, but seeing it all bare hammers it home."

"Thanks. You're easy on the eyes too." She replied as Cress sighed beside her. "Not like you to hit on me, though." She said, hands moving to her hips... Despite her embarrassment at her own nudity having Channer and Lady Caesarea act casual and relaxed on their approach and their own nudity had helped.

"Well as much as I'd love to have sex with you, without your brother knowing about it, you're not someone I'd marry." Channer said (Some of it in a lower tone then the rest) with a shrug. "Not because of the Catalan thing, my family would hate that mind you, just... I'd want someone a little quieter, ya know?" He said as Miria smiled and shrugged.

"Yeah, I can understand that." She replied simply with a short nod.

"What about you Cress, see any ladies you like; aside from those you came in with?" Channer asked the Bijoux heir as he blushed and looked about.

"Umm, I mean there's no lack of that for, well, anyone here, is there?" Cress replied as Makoto nodded.

"I agree." She said softly. "I am sure every man here sees a buffet of female flesh... And for us women there is hardly a lack of male flesh to indulge in, should we choose."

"Wait, are you planning on having sex with someone here?" Miria said, turning to Makoto (And missing Channer glancing to her rump... As well as Cress glancing and trying to act polite and look elsewhere) as Makoto bit her lip.

"As of now none of us are betrothed or have expectations of exclusivity; unless the rest of you have not told me of such. There is no harm in it." Makoto said as she looked back. "That said, I do not plan on becoming drunk on lust; once or twice would be enough for me; I can only claim two lovers in my past now. No needs to go overboard."

"Exactly." Channer said moving over to the Noxdecus girl and moved to take hold of her waist with one hand, taking Cress' waist by the other and pulling both close to him to their surprise. "No harm in exploration! Come on!" He let off, pushing the pair ahead of him before his hands swung out, clapping on two asses... And making both Miria and Cress yelp, blush and look to him with the former glancing to Cress then Channer in confusion before blushing deeper at the implication.

Makoto sighed as she watched them go off. She had heard of males interested in other males, although they seemed less accepted then females interested in other females. "Ah, you were with the Noxdecus hunk, weren't you?" She heard and saw the redheaded, elven knight commander for Forestside. "Good to see you! Saaaay, did you see where he went?" She said, giggling and clasping her hands together, making a cite pose on one leg, lifting the other as she half turned to one side.

"Ah. Yes." Makoto said, blinking. "Lady Caesarea met him and led him off to speak." She said as Solana looked like she was punched in the gut.

"Wh-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?" She let off, eyes going wide. "B-b-b-b-b-b-but I wanted to fuck him first! Oh shit, I need to find him before the High Gov nails him first!" She let off before she turned and half walked/half jogged into the crowd to find him as Makoto sighed once more.

"I understand sex is enjoyable... But must some people obsess over it so?" She said with yet another sigh as she moved to walk off to find someplace to observe the room for a time.

[-]

I had expected sex to happen, but the how was a surprise (I guess I was wrong about nothing surprising me anymore then); as we got into the hot tub, she took a moment to stroke me to hardness and sat on my dick, legs to one side. That said we weren't really fucking rather she was rocking her hips gently as I was in her, summoned a maid for a glass of wine for each of us as we talked with one another. "Really?" She let off, giggling. "You called the High Queen! Right there in front of a Dominious Captain?"

"It worked." I replied with a shrug as she gave a soft moan as she sipped her drink; meanwhile I relaxed as much as I could. "And it got him to back down, even if it came with a bit of a bluff." I added with a chuckle. The hand not holding my glass, which I took small sips of, was on her waist to help support her while her free hand was around my shoulders. "I wasn't ready for playing the part of a lawyer, let alone a lawyer for privateers."

"Well you did well enough by the sounds of it. Really, I've heard rumors of you laying with half or all of that band." She said, making a wide gesture with her glass holding hand, yet not spilling a drop. "Bandits in Ur, Legion and Dominious in Foeh, Aberrant in Geofu; you've been leaving deeds in your wake."

"If it wasn't for my work with the voxlux I doubt those tales would reach so far." I said, sighing (Almost groaning) as she worked her hips firmer. It was a strange pleasure; not frantic, not loving but gentle and slow yet rising towards a peak. Not an eye rolling one but an enjoyable one, nonetheless.

"Nonsense!" She let off, rocking her hips a little firmer now. "People love those tales; a young lord who could easily stay in the back or at home putting himself in harms way in the efforts to protect the common man... Most know nobility doesn't need to do so and yet here's one protecting people in need to saving. Oh, to be sure you'll not reach the fame of a, say, Pearson Flarewing on that alone but people will notice and appreciate it." She moaned softly as she used her arm on my shoulders rock her hips a bit firmer and quicker, moaning a little louder. I was nearing my edge too and I finally groaned out softly. "Now, cum for me, Sweet Boy..." She let off as she dropped down hard on my lap as she squealed softly, cumming on my cock although in a more relaxed manner then I was used to... Much as I came up into her in turn, groaning out as my balls squeezed down and pushed seed up into her as she sighed and sipped her drink before leaning into me with a giggle. "I can't wait to hear what you do in the future." She said, kissing my cheek before standing up and leaving the tub, moving to the side to get a towel and leaving me alone for a moment.

Taking a moment to relax I sighed and leaned back. It was true; nobility taking such an active role in helping people wasn't that common. Although in my case my work as an Adventurer was in part due to free time I had and most of the good I've done while on the road was in regards to trouble that I've tripped over or was shown. I wasn't some superhero, looking for people in trouble and rushing to their aid. I just couldn't stand by if there was something I could do when such a problem was set before me. As a future Baron I would be expected to send people out to deal with such things for me while I sat back and dealt with macro level problems. Once I was Baron I was expected to be more hands-off on the common 'lesser' problems and be hands-on with the more 'important' problems.

I wasn't eager for that...

More importantly I was here to save Eostia and that would require me becoming a hero to the realm on some level. So far I didn't need to worry that much in regards to recognition beyond most of my peers; and even then for the voxlux more then anything else... But there was a strong chance that would change in a hurry; possibly in the near future.

I may have been on my own for about three minutes (Well, on my own and two women and two men to my left having sex while making idle conversation with each other; no really. What did you expect?) until a small squeal came from behind me and before I could respond a splash came as someone set a hand on the tub and vaulted in to a seating position to my right; the redheaded elf woman Solana Zell. "Found you!" She chirped out, giggling and hugging my side, pressing herself to my side.

"And hello to you to." I said, blinking as she smiled up to me and cuddled to my side. "Are you this friendly with most people?" I asked, blinking at her.

"To those I'm thankful to, anyway!" She said, moving to side on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck as she smiled and pressed herself to me.

"Umm... I'm sorry, I don't recall meeting you before..." I let off, confusion evident in my face and voice.

"Ah. Right... Let me explain the story then..." She said, sitting a little straighter on my lap.

[-]

To give some context my father is a administrator in the Dominion's government. His main duty was to travel to the other kingdoms of the Alliance and it's various territories to talk trade, mutual issues and defense. At times he even acts as an ambassador to other nations. When I was young he took me, my mother-step-mother to be clear-and half-sister along with him to Camafran. He wanted us to see new places, meet new peoples and understand the ideals of peace Eostia loves to speak about. It was a wonderful time for us; well, when father wasn't working of course. We got to see so much; the Black Cathedral, the Statue of the Blade, Triumph's Arch...

We were in Port Hardy, on the shore of the Great Atlas River in the north that it happened however; Dominious attacked Camafran. It was during one of Garan's incursions so they were betting Eostia wouldn't be able to assist them. You might know it as the Burning River War... And yes, they set fire to every town and city on the Atlas that they could; even Port Hardy.

We all escaped death but were trapped as the Dominious army laid siege to the town. In spite of everything we managed to escape south; the town was overrun but the local guard and militia punched a hole into their lines and held it open to let as many civilians escape as possible. In the end a two month stay turned into an five month horror for us. Worse is that my sister, Gracie, was starting a romance with a nice Camafran lad... He seemed charming and seemed sincere... And he died in the fighting. He wasn't a solider; he was born with a lame leg and limped around everywhere, yet a Dominious soldier cut him down all the same.

Gracie, as you might have guessed, was upset. Once she came of age she moved to Ironside and joined their navy in anticipation of a coming conflict with them that never came. So once her time in the navy was up she decided to take another route; she joined a group of privateers on a ship called The Fighting Wench.

Ah, I think you understand now... But not fully. You know of how they saved Brend and got to Cauldona, but what you might not know is she was stuck in the leg by an arrow and trying to crawl away when you and yours arrived. Just when it all seemed to go wrong, when that knight was about to draw steel she said you took control of the situation and walked past her to confront the Dominious Captain face to face. She was able to crawl away but still watched as you made him back down and do as he was told.

You saved her. You saved her crewmates. You saved my sister...

[-]

"Huh..." I let off, leaning back in my seat as I let that sink in. The Burning River War was the last major war Dominious had before it's current civil war. They expected Eostia to stay on the sidelines while their ally was attacked due to Garan tying them up. That's not what happened; Ironside and Cauldona sent their navies in to assist and drew various militiamen into their ranks to use as an ad hoc army to help defend Camafran. The war ended after around a year with Dominious forced back as Eostia was able to reinforce their ally with more and more foot soldiers, not expecting Garan to attack a second time so fast. By all accounts it left a lot of egg on Hilda the First's face. "I recall walking past her, but I didn't give her much mind at the time; I wanted to mend her leg but dealing with Dax was more important at the moment."

"Oh, she understands, trust me." She said, giggling. "Her letter was quite detailed about it all; she was sure you wouldn't really remember her at all. That you remember her, even in such a limited way, is more then she expected." She said turning and moving to straddle my hips now, although resting the top of her feet on the top of my thighs as she pressed herself chest-to-breast with me. "She also mentioned your little job around Eostia and I was hoping you'd be coming along. My family is important to me, and how much or little you knew of my sister you did save her and I plan on thanking you... And thank you well..." She said as she finally lifted herself up, holding my cock with one hand, smiling warmly as she pressed her tip to her sex, rocking her hips in a slow circle before dropping down on my slowly. "You want me to ride you hard or gentle?" She asked, arms wrapping about my neck as she pressed her nose to mine.

"Gently." I replied with a groan. "I had it a bit too hard not too long ago." She giggled softly but accepted the request, moving her hips up and down on my dick in a firm but measured manner, slowly rocking her hips up and down.

"Hmmm, I find some men are too rigid in sex." She said, moving to set her head next to mind, whispering to my ear. "Some always want it rough, others always gentle, some want to serve their women, others want to be served by them. Always in control, always giving it up..." I let my hands moved down to her ass, cupping it as she worked. "Few really learn to enjoy things and... mix it up a bit, add some spice to their sex..."

"Well, mmm, I've had chances to... end up with a variety of women with a variety of tastes..." I replied as she giggled and moved her hips as she held onto me. I groaned softly as she worked, hearing her panting right into my ear as she shivered and groaned. She was rocking her hips side to side now as she mewled into my ear gently.

I gave her ass a firm squeeze as she kissed at my ear, rocking my own hips softly as I enjoyed her body, hearing her giggle softly. "Mmm, you feel so good in me... You wanna cum deep in me and fill my womb, huh?" She said as she nipped my ear before moving to lean up a bit, hands moving to my shoulders as we fucked. In response I moved my hands from her rump, slid them along her sides to her breasts and gave them a firm squeeze as she hissed at me in delight, my thumbs rubbing over her nipples.

She moaned and arched her back as I leaned in enough to slip my lips over a nipple, suckling on it as I nipped it with me teeth softly as I looked up at her; one of her hands moving to my hair and running though it as she giggled once more before gasping and picking up speed in her drops onto my cock. Indeed a peak was coming closer for me as well as I rocked up into her as well. She mewled softly as a another pair in the hot tub came to a loud climax as she squeezed down hard on my cock, whimpering as she held back her climax. In turn I bit down a tad firmer on her nipple as she came on my cock, gasping out and shivering as if freezing.

In turn I pulled her down onto me as I came myself, groaning around her nub and breast as my cock quivered and pushed up a load of semen into her sex. She gave a low, but drawn out squeal as she rode her pleasure before pulling off of me, sighing, as I myself groaned as she sat next to me. "Ahhh... Yeah, I needed that..." She let off with a sigh.

[Fucked List]

Emera Caesarea=100 x 5 First Time Bonus=500xp
Solana Zell=100 x 5 First Time Bonus=500xp
Multi Girl Bonus=10 x 2 Girls
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 1224xp Total

"Mmm, guy like you will be popular; no matter how much I'd want to keep you to myself..." Solana admitted as she sighed as she leaned into me as I wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I can same the same to you, Solana." I replied as she gave off another giggle.

[-]

I would probably spend three hours there, more or less... And ended up fucking another four women over that time. I saw glimpses of my companions over that time but beyond Ur'Akara riding some guy I didn't see much of what they did. Maybe I'd ask sometime.

The next morning our escort (Mungale and Dawn Templar alike) requested we stay another day for rest and relaxation. I could guess why they wanted to have R and R in Forestside, but I held my tongue on it. After a brief talk we agreed it would be fine; we'd end up staying two days before leaving towards our next destination; the High Kingdom of Ken. Claudia and Klaus came along with us to attend the meeting of the Council of Lords but once there we would be meeting with our next escort on our journey; the High Queen herself, Celestine Lucross...

That will make it the half way point of my quest to install booster... I couldn't help but think that there was more that would happen along the way...

[ - Author's Note - ]

Whew... That went smoother then I expected. Nice.

Okay, fun chapters over for now. Next will be an Interlude chapter with some more world building, an explanation of the territories we didn't visit and we'll poke in on various people in the realm; including Beardsley and a couple of others. The plan is to use the chapter to set up future conflicts; one of which will be the centerpiece of the act's end.

In addition I'm showing a bit more of my hand as to what James' plans are; including getting ready to have a new weapon made for him, something to do with his toy flying wagon and his custom hybrid spell. Additionally I can make a lot of Questline chapters based on what everyone did in Forestside! And in so many combinations too!

As always leave a comment, tell me what you liked, didn't like, what you thought and constructive criticism. A poll on the best Geofu shields will be up next time as well, so be ready for that. Until then enjoy yourselves!

~Eostian Scribe