[ - Author's Note - ]
Here we are; another chapter and another two states to visit. First we're off to Skerion to visit a relative of Lulu's and then off to Perrious to see a... possible danger someone could face in the nobility and leave it at that.
Before I carry on I want to thank everyone who reads this story; Act Two dragged on longer then even I thought it would and you guys have been mostly good about it. Next chapter and the Interlude should be the last of Ansur and then it'll be off to Thorn and Kaguya; I'm sure many of you have been waiting to see her for awhile. That'll also be the final part of this road trip.
So with all that said remember to vote in the ongoing Rad Poll if you haven't already (Links will be at the end of the chapter) and let's get started.
[ - Act II - Chapter XXXV: Ladies A Plenty - ]
In terms of mineral wealth Skerion is, perhaps, among the richest in Eostia. Iron, coal, tin, copper, cobalt, mythril and other ores and goods of the Earth are mined, brought up, sold and used. More over the County has access to the Engvall River which is wide enough and deep enough to sail flat bottomed ships through giving them access to the Great Sererian Lake by winding through Jerius and Brell.
For most of Eostia's history it was run by House DeLaterre as a slave state but they had a very... different sort of view on the practice; they put laws in place to protect slaves from abuse and mistreatment, limited the tasks they could perform (Sex with slaves was forbidden as an example), and demanded that after twelve years of work slaves were to be freed, given a small sum by their now former owner and be allowed citizenship of the County. This drew ire from their slaver peers for being too soft and it's said when they were gutted in the pox they were happy to have the chance to have them replaced with 'a real slavist house'. In addition rather then free their slaves many masters would simply bring them to another state to sell or trade them; undermining whatever intent DeLaterre had.
Enter House Stonepick; halfling nobles who were initially responsible for much of the mining in the county's north and east and come the pox they would see themselves rising up into the place to DeLaterre despite not being on the succession list; in part because no one on that list survived.. House Stonepick while under the leadership of Suesue Stonepick would abolish slavery and render the county as a limited state; but not for the good of the slaves. There was an influx of halflings and dwarves into the region before, during and after their rise and being naturally suited to mining she felt that removing the slaves would open up several paying jobs to help the immigrants establish themselves. Indeed much of the mining industry within the county is owned, operated and staffed by halflings with humans only really in positions to help market and sell the mineral wealth.
Militarily this has put them in a good position to be well armed and equipped. Heavy and light infantry backed by bowmen and crossbowmen are the backbone of their formations with some riflemen in the mix. There are also good engineers to create siege weapons, fortifications and other structures trained within but one other unique thing is the Digger Corps; a mercenary group by definition they hire themselves out to Skerion to the point they may as well just be a part of their military; however their main goal isn't to fight (Although they do such when called upon) but rather dig trenches, raise camps, build or repair fortifications and construct other buildings or items needed and often comes with blacksmiths and other craftsmen when the need to fight Garan arrives. Spin off groups have noted the relative good pay of the Digger Corps and mimicked it as well as their duties are less dangerous then standard mercenaries.
The one other industry of note is their multiple breweries of beer, whiskey, mead and rum befitting of the unofficial motto of the county; work hard, drink harder.
~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia
[-]
If there was a word to describe Skerion it was hilly. Hills, hills and more hills. Rocky hills, grassy hills, hills with trees, hills with flowers, hills with farms...
Just so... many... hills.
Flatland was rare to come by outside of the west of the county and as such farmland was a bit more limited with farmers farming on gentler hills just to have more land to plant on. The Boot County was full of hills; many ore rich. And yes, Boot County. They weren't legendary shoemakers here or the like; the county's borders just kinda looked like a short boot when viewed on a map. There's your fun fact of the day.
Despite all of this the road we were on was quite straight and smooth; the region used mostly Imperium Era roads that were well cared for but they also built two tunnels through large hills (Former mines dug out and reinforced) for traffic to run through with guard posts on each end of them; and one of those tunnels started in Grecure. Yeah. The smoothness allowed me to work on my chess board a bit more with Lulu giving her own input. I had gotten a basic AI working on it and set up an easy and medium difficulty levels and had Lulu challenge both of them. She was amazed to have a chess board that could play itself but found herself enjoying it fairly well and could even beat the medium level every third or fourth game.
Conversation was on a few subjects but early on was focused on my new rank and what it would mean for me. Ahhh, speaking of which we parted ways with Channer; he was heading north towards Hol'canna; Houses Blitzhaus and Stoneshard were... allies, although my understanding was both Arnold von Blitzhaus and Ryan Stoneshard were personal rivals as well. Even so it made sense he would head in that direction... as would I eventually...
We passed by mining town after mining town with each one having a few, smaller farms nearby. I think they imported a fair bit of their food to make up for the lack of flat farmland. Regardless we would eventually reach the capital of the state, De La Terre City; renamed after the county's former ruling house and translating as 'Of The Earth', a phrase that summarized Skerion as a whole. It was a bit interesting; it was built on a large, crescent shaped shaped hill although with rounded tips and one side being much wider then the other. The 'tips' were close enough that a bridge connected the two of them; likely built to help speed traffic along. It wasn't a small one either; it was at least as wide as a football field plus an additional quarter and bore several buildings on both sides of it with foot paths along the edges and carriage roads down the middle; what they were I didn't know (I'd later learn they were shops and restaurants. Yes, it was more or less an additional, upscale market district) but it looked damn impressive.
The road up to the gate had the grade of the hill's angle altered by a ramp at the bottom and parts of the hill being dug up to soften the ascent with the gates inset into the walls some forty odd feet; with four towers guarding it's outside now. Over the gate and the walls flanking it was the banner of House Stonepick; a kite style shield with two circles over the side points and given a thin, black outline. Those circles were green and were connect by a yellow bar. On the top, shorter end was a dark red background and bore three, gray gears with the lower right one being the largest with a silver circle inside of it, a smaller one left of it with a bronze one and an even smaller one above and between them with a black circle.
The longer, bottom half meanwhile was brown and in it's center bore the image of a pick and shovel crossed over each other with the business ends up; both gray with a bronze inset within them. Under them and near the bottom of the banner was a coal cart with a bronze outline with dark gray lining it on both sides, a lighter gray frame, black coal inside of it and dark gray wheels.
We rode in and as we went past a mix of refurbished Imperium era structures and newer Victorian styled one we rode towards the noble's district and Skerion Manor; riding over the large bridge to do so; quite the interesting buildings along the way too. Upon arrival at Skerion Manor we were ushered through a rather well made brown, brick fence with the House Stonepick banner flanking them as we entered and got a good view of the building proper. The manor was gray in color with a brown roof and was comprised of a large, central building that was four stories tall, flanked by two story tall wings with six story tall towers on the sides. Flanking the path to the manor's doors was a pair of statues with one holding a pick and one a shovel.
Once parked we stepped out of the carriages and before we could reach the doors they were shoved open and a halfling man was walking out to us with a cane in hand. "Ha! You took your time arriving, eh? Ahhh, and Lulu you skamp! C'mere!"
"Cousin Bob! It's good to see you!" Lulu let off as she rushed the man, hugging him around the neck. The man in question hugged back before letting go to look at me. He was maybe four foot ten in height and bore slicked back, black hair and bore a... ummm... paintbrush mustache. For the unaware that's the style used by two notable people in history; Charlie Chaplin... and Adolf Hitler. Yeah; Eostia didn't have a stigma against that kind of mustache because it didn't have a Holocaust or a, well, someone like Hitler.
Then again there should be a stigma based on the fact that it looked utterly dumb.
Brown eyes looked back to me as he was dressed in a Victorian style, off-black with a hint of blue jacket with gold trim that was double buttoned up the front with silver buttons and a red Jacob's collar with a red spell stone set near the neck. White gloves were on each hand and a set of pants were on him that matched his jacket in color with a pair of gold stripes going down the sides and tucked into pure black boots with gold colored trim and laces. His cane was brown with a mythril cap that looked like the head of a pick with a red spell stone set to the top of it. Lulu was the first to speak. "Bob's the Count of Skerion and one of my cousins."
Count Bob?
...
I should not be surprised, really. I am but I shouldn't be.
(-)
Name: Bob Stonepick
Title: The Count of Coal
Class: Sorcerer
Level: 28
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 34
Status: Healthy, Happy, Calm
Known Traits
[?]
[Mister Mineral] You can tell what sort of ore, stone, gem or quartz set before you is when it's shown to you; so long as you've seen it before.
[Appraiser] You can tell what a magical item or weapon can do by a simple examination. Gain the [[Appraise]] Skill
Son of Roxor Stonepick and Lili, Daughter of Domas of House Ironroot, Bob is a count focused mostly on the wealth of his House and his people primarily and Eostia as a whole secondarily. He collects taxes off of slaves passing through his realm to add to that wealth with him joining the Traditionalists forces of the Council of Lords; although one with close ties to the Conservatives.
(-)
That bit about how he was aligned with the Traditionalists was... unnerving, but not enough to put me on edge; as much as I disagreed with the position I couldn't do much about it at the moment. That said as a link in the Great Slave Chain I imagined most of the Traditionalists did their best to keep him happy with them. "A pleasure, Bob." I said as he walked over, hand out as I leaned over and shook it.
"Ahhh, pleasure is mine my lad, I assure you." He said as he gestured to door. "Come in, come in! Meet the family, eh?" We would follow in as... several girls walked into the entrance hall and... ahhhhhhhhh...
There was like two dozen of them!
"Right! These are Tata, Cici, Mimi, Popo and Violet, my wives!" He let off as five of the girls walked closer; all cute, halfling women; a pair of blondes, a redhead, a bluette and brunette. And yes, one of those names is not like the others. "And of course my twenty daughters! ... I love them all, but I just can't get a son, huh?" He let off with a soft, embarrassed chuckle as the girls in the room giggled.
...
Twenty daughters. Woo boy.
Ah well; it's not like another orgy like on the Defiant Wench was going to happen, right?
...
Right?
...
I'd... better check that my contraception spell is in place... just in case.
[-]
The idea of checking my 'no bastards' spell was in place might have been more warranted then I thought. Far, far more so. Upon introducing me to all twenty of his daughters (As well as saying that even he had trouble remembering all their names sometimes) we were taken out to the back porch for tea. The girls were all in outfits that varied between dresses with short skirts, dresses with long skirts that were missing the front of said skirts, shirts with ruffled bottoms and bloomers, leotards and so forth; all in various colors and styles although black, off-black, gray and red were the most common ones.
Lulu dragged my chess board along; both to show off and to play with her cousins (Bob's daughters as they were all cousins once removed from her) and to showcase the animations. Almost as soon as I sat down a redhead in a black dress with the front of her skirt missing sat down on my lap with tiny tail wagging; her hair cropped and feathered with mischievous green eyes (Pip) while a long, black haired girl in a red dress with a short skirt sat to my left with matching green eyes but a calmer look to them (Lilly). To my other side another of Bob's daughters sat down; brown hair tied back in pigtails and clad in a gray, ruffled shirt but with matching tights that looked painted on (Ara) as she pressed me to talk about my travels thus far.
For the curious it was common for halfling names to be repetitive or alliterative in nature (Lulu, Riri, Sarsar, Lilly) or a palindrome or palindrome-like (Edda, Pip, Ara, Bob) while names like Finlay, Violet and Lolek came from more human influences on halfling culture then anything else.
I had to use Observe a lot to know who was who as I started to tell some tales; worth noting all of them were either studying the use of some sort of weapon or were studying some branch of magic or both; although none of them had an advanced class. Regardless; they all fixated on the battles against the Bloody Griffins in Caul, Garan in Arafe and the Aberrant in Alterun. It was when I was getting into the fight with Blood Caller when a hand fell on my shoulder as someone leaned over to set a plate of additional snacks down. "I beg your pardon, M'Lord." She let off.
The woman was a maid and Eostia being Eostia her outfit was skimpy. A short, black skirt with white trim with the bottom trim being ruffled. Her top was a boob tube that only covered maybe a third of the breasts and wrapped around the middle of them; white with an upper trim of black. A folded collar was around the neck with a small, orange stone there (Spell orb as opposed to spell stone) over a black bow. A white, ruffled headband was on the head, matching knee high socks on the feet and a set of short, black shoes with slight heels to them.
The maid herself, however, was a dark elf; some five four in height with bright yellow eyes that matched an easy smile, dusky skin, short, neck length, black hair with bangs handing down the middle of her forehead that were cut flat. Her breasts were fairly small; B-Cup I'd say. She gave me a wide smile and kept her hand in place as she moved to grab the teapot, making sure I was in range to smell a hint of flowery perfume as she refilled my cup.
(-)
Name: Solntse Sluzhba
Title: Maid of Skerion Manor
Class: Maid/Jester
Level: 18
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 34
Status: Healthy, Aroused, Joyful
Romance Rating: 99
Corruption Rating: 12
Known Traits
[Knife Nut] You love your knives and you know how to use them. +1 Damage and +2 Dex when using Knives.
[Silent Stepper] You have very light steps wherever you go. +5 to Stealth
Grandchild of Arblade refugees from the days when Garan was founded, Solntse 'Sol' Sluzhba is a girl with no real ambitions in life save maybe marrying when she reached three hundred years of age. In the meantime she's been taking up odd jobs; she's been an adventurer, a chef, a dancer and most recently a maid giving her an odd but useful set of skills and abilities.
(-)
"Thank you." I said as I picked up the tea cup and moved to take a sip as she giggled before moving to service everyone else. Worth noting she didn't set a hand on anyone else in a likewise manner save for Cress but even then it was brief before she moved her hand to the back of his chair. She would move to the back of the porch where a small stove for tea and other things was set up. The various halfling girls giggled as I moved back to my tales... Only for Ede (A brown haired, brown eyed girl who's hair was tied back in a mid-back length ponytail) to pat my shoulder before gesturing with her head... towards Solntse who was bent over at the hips... with her skirt lifting up enough to showcase that no she was not wearing panties.
I am surprised... Not that she isn't wearing panties, that's something I've grown accustomed to; rather I am surprised that Ede pointed it out to me.
I reached the part of the Blood Caller story where he went one-winged-angel on me before one of the daughters named Aziza (Blue haired girl, waist length, red eyes) let off 'he turned black as ash!?' in a loud 'surprised' voice (In an over exaggerated matter) making me look to the right towards her... and Solnste was right there, bent over with her breasts hanging into what you'd call her top giving me a glimpse of cleavage, although partially blocked by her bow.
Solnste standing next to me, back turned? Hannah (Green eyes, green hair that was cropped very short) would playfully flip the maid's skirt up and flashing her ass as she acted like nothing happened.
Solnste standing next to me and facing me? Vev and Eve (Twins with blonde hair in ponytails that were neck length, Vev's on the left side of her head, Eve's in the right and both sharing cyan eyes) would hug her legs from behind and slide their hands up, pushing her skirt up to flash me that pussy.
Anna (Brown eyes, pink hair in a princess braid) offers Solnste a flower from the garden? The maid would squat down and make sure her sex was facing me with legs spread.
Riri's snickering told me she had caught on but the large table was blocking the view of most of the people and I was getting a hint of an idea to what was going on here.
After tea one of Bob's wives suggested that I should go to Skywalk Lane and visit the shops there; Skywalk Lane being the massive bridge connecting two ends of the city to one another that boasted a lot of shops and stores on it. Honestly?
Sounded like an idea to me.
[-]
Miria let off a long, long whistle as we stood on the edge of the bridge with her holding onto the brick barrier by said edge. "Now that's a view..."
It really was... You could see a couple of smaller towns on nearby hills and a farm on some of the little flatland in view. The sun shone on a small lake in view and you could make out some deer drinking from it. My group came along but Miria was with me this time along with Riri and Solntse who was acting as a guide. "It is. Having a market district on a bridge like this is very unique." I let off. Argon City had it's own charm but it seemed... plain compared to something like De La Terre City. "Where do we wanna start?"
"How about the weapons and armor shops; we're often looking over them." Riri offered as I nodded and looked to Miria who nodded as well.
"Well, I know one popular with the ladies of the house." Solntse said as she smiled and made a gesture. "Please, follow me." She said giving a short bow before turning and leading us to our first store, 'Sword and Board'. Yes, it was called that. Yes, the sign over the store was of a sword over a shield... A shield made of planks of wood. Yup.
It was less a single store and more a pair that were side by side; both with their own doors but once inside there was an open doorway between the two. We started on the weapon's side; I kept an eye out for weapons that could be used by my friends; after all Riri, Cress and Miria all had better weapons and the Unicorn's Horn would work for me until Lulu could forge me a brand new High Elven Saber. Tiffany and Aeris would be fine for their weapons for now so that left Makoto... And there... wasn't much for katanas here. Go figure. There should be more selection in that category once we got to Thorn; there was a heavy Easterner influence there so such weapons would be much more common there.
Moving over to the armor section was much of the same story; I had excellent armor on the way but those around me had... lackluster options. To be frank while Aeris' was fine as a mage in the backlines Makoto, Miria and Cress all had nothing that qualified and Riri only had good but basic cloth gambeson. Sadly most of what was here... wasn't much better. That wasn't to say there was nothing; there was a good suit of leather gambeson for women that was present on a mannequin. Observe told me it was better then mine; at least on the physical side; twelve slashing resistance as opposed to ten and seven to piercing and blunt.
The top part had a black under body with thicker wraps about the biceps, blue colored, leather pauldrons and bracers with black gloves. The front was dominated by a solid, leather, blue breastplate. A matching, blue skull cap was present and left the face visible in full. Blue, leather pants started the bottom half with a pair of black, leather belts crossing over the hips. Thigh high black boots with thicker padding over the shins would cover the pants and the tops of the feet were a polished blue. "Miria." I called out as my sister let off a 'huh' and wandered over. "What do you think?"
"Hmmm... Armor, eh?" She let off as she crossed her arms under her bust. "Your way of saying I should get some?"
"Well mine saved my ass a couple of times." I pointed out. The price tag was fifteen gold; a bit pricey for gambeson but not that bad and if we could set a spell stone to it I could add some extra protections to it.
"Well it'll need to be modified to account for a tail and ears... assuming it fits." She let off tapping her chin.
"Ehhhh, I can modify it in a pinch if you need it done." The man behind the counter let off. He was a halfling male (Jax Battler, according Observe. Yes, really) with short black hair, blue eyes and wore a leather apron, short shorts, boots... and not much else. Even the guys can Eostia in Eostia. "Five silver; but you gotta buy it first."
"Hmmm... I'll try it on first; see how it fits." She let off moving to pick up the light mannequin towards the change room as I moved off to browse for a bit longer... And found something very unexpected.
Unlike what Miria found this was folded and didn't look like armor at first glance. It consisted of a Japanese looking short robe that would cover the torso from neck to hip that was white with red trim. A black, cloth belt was with it (Obi, I think it was called) with a white tie around it. A red loincloth was with it with a short, white underskirt. A red headband with a rounded, metal plate painted white with a red outline and some, red kanji on it's front (I'd later learn it meant 'courage'). It bore a pair of red, cloth bracers and shin covering... boot-like things that were both opened toed and open heeled. It looked more like a skimpy, Japanese styled outfit opposed to armor... in an armor shop... So maybe...
I used Observe on it...
(-)
Armor Type: Eastern Blade's Armor Weave
Slashing Resistance: +24
Piercing Resistance: +18
Blunt Resistance: +16
Magical Resistance: +16
Weight: Very Light
Agility Penalty: N/A
Other Bonuses: +6 All Resistances When Taking Attacks From The Front, +2 Agi
Buy Value: 32 Platinum, 30 Gold
Sell Value: 9 Platinum, 20 Gold
A suit of Armor Weave designed with Eastern styling in mind, designed for female swordswomen while being created with mobility in mind while keeping a high level of protection with additional protections in the frontal arc. It is an idea armor for a mobile samurai.
(-)
Hmmm... "What about this stuff?" I asked the shopkeeper.
"Hmm... Oh, that?" Jax let off as the stroked his chin. "Eastern stuff; that. Guess you can tell it's Armor Weave, yeah? You want it for a lady of yours? Well it'll be eighteen platinum." Eighteen!? My guess was that the lack of Easterners and abundance of halflings in the region as well as that less educated people that didn't recognize what exactly this stuff did led to the suit just sitting on the shelf for who knows how long as valuable but unmoving stock. Well; I had use for that.
"I know someone who'd enjoy it." I said as I scooped it all up and took it to the counter. Eighteen platinum later and a cloth wrapped Armor Weave was in hand.
Likewise Miria would answer in the affirmative that the armor mostly fitted and she was willing to foot the cost of it. She would hang back along with Riri as Jax had someone else man the counter before moving to the back with my sister and her new armor to fit and modify it. Since they'd be busy I excused myself to go and see what else of value I could find.
A magic shop was next on the itinerary and I took my time to browse. There was all sorts of interesting and unique things within; spell stones, spell scrolls, books of all sort of things and what not. In the end I found something interesting; a large spell book not unlike what Tiffany used. It was wrapped in a red, leather cover with gold trim and a place to set a spell stone to it in the center of the spine. And that gave me an idea; I was thinking of ways to improve my friend's abilities and this was one. Three platinum and twenty gold later I had a spell book and a stone of the right size to set to it.
I would meet with Miria and Riri by a restaurant with an outside patio and Miria was in her new armor; skull cap and all. She made it look good. Slits had been set into the skull cap to accommodate her ears and a hole in the back of the pants for the tail but that wasn't the only changes; a long, black, leather piece was set by the tail hole with rings for her tail to slide through; acting as protection for the base of her tail. Her original outfit was in a bound, cloth bundle in her hand and soon the rest of the gang joined us. Cress did a double take at Miria's new armor as we started to discuss how we could add the House Noxdecus emblem to it; I suggested the sides of the pauldrons myself.
I of course then told Makoto I found and bought her some Armor Weave and while she initially was reluctant to accept the gift, as she was wont to do, I pointed out that it wasn't just a gift from the goodness of my heart but to make sure she could be protected because I didn't want to see my allies getting hurt. Riri was the one to point out that as my bodyguard she needed to not just protect me but herself as well; she'd protect nothing if she died after all. She smiled and told me she'd try it on as soon as we got back to the manor. As for the food it was rather good if unusual. Mixed taco-like ground beef, cheese, diced lettuce and tomatoes wrapped in dumpling like dough, fried and served with a mix of hot sauces to dip them in with strips of salted crackers as a side. It was different and enjoyable over all.
As for the rest of the trip we didn't do too much; I bought mom a cookbook of various halfling recipes and that was it. Once back in the manor Makoto did change straight away and looked good in her own armor. With all of that done I retired to my room for a time; my new holy/fire elemental weapon spell wasn't going to make itself after all. I was fairly excited to see how that would turn out. In addition I had Tiffany's new book to enchant after I set the spell stone into place but that wasn't a long project over all.
After some work on that I pulled out some smaller spell stones of mine and looked over them and considered what I could do with them. These were tiny ones; the size of large grains of rice. They weren't worth much; one or two copper each, if that. This was mostly due to how weak they were; even if they were high quality ones they just didn't have much magical output. That said if given a fire spell, no matter how weak, it was a good trigger to set off gunpowder for a cannon or grenade. But that didn't mean other uses couldn't be found...
I decided to do a little enchanting on one; just to see what I could do... I had an idea...
I worked on that until dinner was called; on order this time was a beef roast; before it was cooked it was cut deep on both sides about half way deep, basted with a thick, honey garlic sauce with those deep slits being filled with it before being fully sliced and served. Mashed potatoes, garden salad and salted crackers painted with honey on one side were the sides with ice cream as desert. It was as I was finishing said desert I was told a bath was drawn if I wished it by a maid (Not Solntse who was off duty) who gave me a smile.
There were two possibilities I could think of what would happen if I took that bath; and both could happen at the same time.
Either way I could use a wash so I excused myself to go and get my cleaning things, moved to the bath, stripped in the change room and moved into the bathroom proper. A large mirror dominated one wall... overly so, really... I hummed a bit as I washed up outside of the bath, as usual, before rinsing and moving to the bath. Once there I used a basic Scry spell and reached out to that mirror, looking through it with my magic and... into a dark room... The room was protected against Scry; as I pressed further from the mirror it fizzled out but it was clear the shielding wasn't pressed right into the mirror. I kept watch with Scry and it wasn't long before a door opened and... all of Bob's daughters filtered in. And I mean all of them. I could see them quickly pointing and looking through the mirror as I cut the spell.
So... they're all a bunch of little voyeurs, huh? I didn't know if I should be upset, amused or... just... accepting of it. I mean it's Eostia; what else do you expect? Hell, I'm surprised this is the first time I was subjected to a peep show.
...
Second, sorry. I almost forgot Miria and Ur'Akara were once ceiling catgirls watching me procreate with Prim.
When the door opened partially and Solntse poked her head in I was not surprised in the least bit. Well... those girls wanted a show?
I'll give them a show...
"Beg your pardon, M'lord..." She said with a smile as she opened the door fully and stepped in; nude and with a tray in hand with a bottle of red wine upon it with a pair of glasses. "But mind if I provide some... extra service...?" She let off as she shut the door behind her.
"Hmmm... well, far be it from me to deny someone who wants to provide said service." I replied with a smile as I let my eyes move down her frame, looking over her whole body. She would walk over, stepping into the tub and walking over towards me and set the tray down next to me. She bent over and popped the bottle open to pour the drink... then gasped as I grabbed her by the ass. "Should I ask what services you intend to provide?"
"Well, M'lord... it seems to me you've already understood them." She let off with a giggle. Once the glass was filled she re-corked the bottle and picked the glass up before moving to side on my lap; her side facing me moving the glass to my lips (And yes, I did cast Detect Toxin with my lip. Just in case) and letting me sip the drink from her hand. Her ass was on my thigh and my cock was lifting up to press into the bottom of hers as she pulled the glass away as my hands moved to stroke her side. She was about to feed me a second sip but I beat her to the punch and reached up with my other hand, grabbing the glass and pressing it to her lips. She mewled a bit as she sipped as my other hand moved to cup her small breast, thumb starting to circle it about the aerola.
I set the glass back to the tray and wasted little time in pulling her closer and kissing her firmly on the lips before squeezing on her breast firmly before pressing my now freed hand to her groin; rubbing into her sex with two fingers. She mewled into my mouth and shivered as I felt up her sex and when the kiss broke she was biting her lip softly and blushing; I don't think she expected me to respond so aggressively. "I'm sure I understand it; but I want you to say it." I told her as I roughly drove two fingers up into her tight, petite body via her vaginal canal.
She mewled, clutching my shoulders with her hands and shivering hard as she bit her lip. "Ahhhh... M'lord..." She gasped out as I started to quickly twist my fingers side to side within her as she shivered harder. "Ahhh... I came... to service your cock, M'lord..." She let off as she squirmed on my fingers as I started to rock it into him harder and harder.
"And how do you want to service it?" I asked as she panted and leaned into me firmer, whimpering harder and shivered.
"I want to suck on in, M'Lord! Whoa!" She cried out as I picked her up in a bridal style and carried her to the edge of the bath. I set her so her side was facing the mirror and the twenty little spies before laying her on her back and turning her so her head was over the edge of the water. She knew what I was up to as I moved to press my cock to her lips as she opened her mouth with no complaints as I started to work myself into her gullet. I pulled her arms to her sides and pinned them down by the forearms as I started to rock into her mouth; slowly and gingerly at first to test how much she could take.
As it turned out; quite a lot. It wasn't long before she took half my dick into her mouth and was taking more with each press into her. Indeed it wasn't long until my balls nestled under her nose and on top of her upper lip. Confident she could handle it all I gave it all; starting to rock my hips into her quickly but not overly roughly as I groaned over her. Sure she got the idea I moved my hands off her arms and set one to a breast and the other to jam two fingers into her sex. To her credit she understood what I wanted; only moving her hands over her belly and gripping a wrist tightly to resist grabbing at me.
Good girl.
I groaned over her as I added a third finger as I panted a bit, smiling as I rammed into her mouth quickly. One of my thumbs brushed over her nipple as the other brushed over her clit; grinding down on her as I curled the fingers within her. To my surprise she came on my hand; I wasn't surprised she came first given she was stimulated first but I didn't think she'd cum this quickly.
Rather then cum in her mouth I withdrew and chuckled a bit before moving out of the bath and moving to her feet and grabbed her by the ankles and softly pulled her away from the tub before pressing her legs towards her chest. Those little Peeping Tammys wanted a show?
I'll give them a show.
I moved my feet next to her hips and set my cock to her sex and started to push down into her. We both groaned as I drove down into her, spreading her sex with my cock as I started to ram into her in a mating press; hands pressing down on her shoulders as she cried out louder as I tested her limits.
I got down enough to press my balls to her ass.
Right. I can go as much as I want then, right?
I started to slam my hips down into her as she grit her teeth and started to to put on the ahegao face as her eyes crossed over her nose as I kept up the pace and pressure. I managed to use Scry despite the... obvious distraction to get a view of those little peepers; they were giving a mix of a drooling looks, licking lips, masturbating over their clothes, masturbating under their clothes, half or fully stripped to masturbate and one (Pip) with her face pressed to the glass.
Guess they liked the show.
I did my best to not cum as I worked Solntse's sex with my dick; after all this performance was not yet finished. I paused and pulled out; the maid crying out as I dislodged as she enjoyed another climax as my cock head flicked her clit hard on the pull-out before I rolled her to all fours and pushed back into her. I leaned over and grabbed her arms just over the elbows and plowed back in before turning our alignment until the dark elf was facing the mirror.
I could see her ahegao face reflected as I rammed into her harder as her mouth started to go slack as she panted and groaned under me before gasping and shivering hard for a moment. I wrapped my arms about her waist and stood, pulling her up before working my arms under her legs and setting them behind her head; positioning her in a full nelson position.
I walked a bit closer to the mirror as I rammed into her harder and faster as I tried to bury my cock into her deepest parts as her tongue finally fell from her lips as she went full ahegao as she panted harder and harder, limp in my arms as she just took my cock into her before she finally came once more; squirting with enough force to spray at the bottom of the glass before her quivering, shivering pussy coaxed me into cumming as well as I pushed hot, thick cream up into her waiting snatch.
Solntse was let panting and limp as I lifted her off my cock and gingerly set her down and laid her on her back. Once I was sure she would be comfortable I turned to the one way mirror smiled and made sure I was watching with Scry... and knocked twice on the mirror with my knuckles as all Bob's daughters backed up from the window... Although Pip, Ara and Ede were still toying with themselves. "I would advise not peeping on people from here. It's rude and some people will take offense if they figure it out." I let off as I walked out of the bathroom and to the change room.
Thou may consider thine mic dropped.
[Fucked List]
Solntse Sluzhba=100xp x 5 First Time Bonus=500xp
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 600xp in Total
[-]
House Hyperion rose mostly during the Nyaru Wars that took place between 507 AF to 508 AF and 537 AF thanks to the efforts of it's founder Axton of the Hills; an orphan turned hunter and fur trader turned solider. At the time he was hunting and taking adventuring jobs in the regions of Eastport and Ironport of Thorn when Nyaru launched an invasion; calming Eastport as part of it's ancestral and traditional borders before one Gottes Verlangen decided he would be an emperor, made a deal with a devil and conquered whatever he felt he wanted.
In fairness the ruler of Nyaru at the time, King Fredrick Lynx, had attempted to employ diplomacy to regain the territory as had his ancestors but Eostia refused. The then rulers of Eastport, House Stillwater, was offered the choice to cede from Eostia by the crown but they preferred to remain in the Alliance and the High Crown backed that choice. That the rulers of Eastport wanted to remain in Eostia was dismissed by King Fredrick and he and the Kingdom of Nyaru attempted an invasion in 507 AF to lay claim to the territory.
Axton of the Hills would be swept up in this conflict as eastern Eostia moved to counter the attack and he would become noted by locals for his hunting of Nyaru scouts and patrols; forming a small band of ad hoc skirmishers that would be incorporated into the armed forces of Eastport. Moreover he would be at the final battle of the First Nyaru War outside of Penn's Flats and end up facing King Fredrick Lynx in personal combat. Claims vary; they fought one on one, one of the other had a two on one advantage, one or both had to break off to fight someone wandering into their combat zone; what really happened isn't known beyond one thing; Axton of the Hills plunged his blade into the heart of the Lord of the Mountain Lions.
For his deeds and in recognition of his victory over King Fredrick Lynx the hunter who had become known as 'The Shadow of the East' was given the title of minor nobility and given a new last name; Hyperion. Nyaru would move to lick it's wounds and mourn it's lost king, rattling it's saber and maintaining it's claim on Eastport and demanding the state still but also Ironport as compensation for the death of their king.
What no one knew at the time is that now Axton Hyperion was a dragonborne; at least not until his fiftieth year when it was noticed that he had aged little in the time. Needless to say his popularity rose with an offer of several noble maidens to marry to secure alliances and influence. However by 537 AF Nyaru was ready to return and invade a second time; Fredrick's grandson, King Peter Lynx, led from the front vowing to kill the man who slew his grandfather and marched into Eastport and slew House Stillwater in near entirety. Once more Axton moved to the east and fought in the war; now with a more elite band at his back and once more he blinded their army by taking down scouts and patrols. He would also meet Peter Lynx in combat on the same battlefield his grandfather was slain on with the new Lord of Mountain Lions and two dozen of his best knights charging the dragonborne head on.
One dragon's breath ended the king and his elite guard.
The war wouldn't end there; General Victoria Lightseeker would lead an invasion of Nyaru and laid siege to two major border fortifications and the castle of Port Erratous, managed to conquer them all at some cost and had them torn down to their foundations; relying mostly on magic for the demolition. Every member of the nobility within the city would be put to the sword and the civilians managed for the time being. General Lightseeker then sent terms to the Nyaru crown; sign a treaty of peace or she would ruin every port city in Nyaru; starting with Erratous.
Nyaru accepted the terms including reparations; although they would break the treaty in 910 AF.
As for Axton he would find himself placed in charge of Perrious in Ansur in 570 AF when then Baron Halbert Zenera was discovered to have ordered an assassination on members of House Daphne. He would end slavery within the realm before starting to arrange for trade with Rycall and finding new places to mine within the barony. He would pass rulership onto his grandson Henry in 611 AF and opt to spend more of his years traveling Eostia and neighboring countries until he was found dead in 711 AF outside of Sundance City in Steel Lock; while the death was clearly violent who killed him is still unknown.
In regards to Perrious it has some rougher terrain in it's northwest but compared to it's neighbors it boasts much more flat, fertile farm lands and boasts the Clearwash River which partially borders with Rycall and feeds into the Engvall River; giving them access to the Great Sererian Lake to the east. While it's wealth hasn't risen quickly it's been steady for generations now and some think it's on the cusp of being named a county.
~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia
[-]
When we left De La Terre City Count Bob wished us well and brought all of his daughters with him... and was visibly confused as to why exactly they were all blushing and acting shy and bashful. I tried to act natural and not smirk but I might have grinned a bit more then usual. As we left the city Lulu asked me about it and I told the truth of what happened... and she laughed at how I knocked on the mirror to call them all out. There was a bit of a blush there as well but was more into the comedy part then the erotic part.
(Lulu would, weeks later, tell me some more details; Count Bob was unaware that the hidden room even existed. She would talk with her cousins and learn the story; they found it by chance and the room was coated in dirt and cobwebs suggesting it was decades or longer since it had been entered or used and they figured out they could spy on guests and nudged Solntse into helping them with their voyeurism. Lulu didn't tell her older cousin but did warn the girls what might happen if he learned how they were using it. I don't know if they stopped but they'd now been warned and I proved that they weren't as hidden as they had thought.)
The paths became easier to navigate as we entered flatter and flatter land; mostly grassy fields with more then a few small forests as well. A few small towns dotted the road until we reached the local capital of Ensire City. In regards to set up it was quite the standard; fifty foot walls around the city from the Imperium Era and lots of towers (Colored brown with some golden trim). Overlooking the city was a singular castle with sixty foot walls, large towers and double large towers in each of the four corners (Matching the colors of the city). Within was square keep but one with a circular roof on it; oddly enough. Either way we weren't going in that direction yet; we went to the city first. And, as usual, the banner of the local lord was over the gate.
The shape was tall and square with rounded corners reminding me of a Roman tower shield; a round boss in the center with a rectangle around it with curved sides made the connection more apparent. The outline was a think black, the background a dark red and the boss was brass with a black outline and a matching color for the rectangular plate it was set to. At the top was the image of a dragon's torso, head, wings and tail made in some tribal style with a matching one on the bottom; rotated a hundred and eighty degrees when compared to the other. A set of crescent moons flanked the boss on either side colored darker gold with a set of lines inlaid from the edge and a Celtic knot pattern along them. The boss also bore a dark gold Celtic knot in it making a cross-like shape. Interestingly it looked the same even if it was inverted.
Once inside I'd say the populous was a mix of humans and halflings in equal measure with dwarves as a minority. We rode off to the local Adventurer's Guild for the usual job; installing the booster. We'd arrive at the guild; what looked like an old, Imperium era barracks building that was repurposed into something else. Once parked we stepped out of the carriages and moved to the door, opening it. The usual thing happened. We go in, say hi, shake hands, go to the roof, install the booster and bid them goodbye.
[(⸜∕ ) Place Booster in Perrious]
That done we left for Castle Perrious. We were waved into the courtyard and once we rode about a bronze statue of a man standing on the back of a dragon (Not life sized, thankfully), opened the door and walked into the entrance hall...
And brought up my glove's shield as the blast wave of a fucking Fireball hit us and knocked me off my feet; Lulu and Finlay's quick reactions being the only thing that didn't see me go 'splat' on the ground. "What the fuck!?" I let off; I barely had a moment to register a Fireball was being flung to block it as I looked into the open doors of the keep.
"I'M HIS FAVORITE YOU WALKING CUNT!"
"YOU WISH YOU FAT COW!"
"YOU'RE JUST JEALOUS I HAVE BREASTS!"
"WELL AT LEAST I HAVE A WORKING MIND!"
Oh, this was a sight to walk in on...
The entrance hall was... well scorched with plenty of burn marks, broken pottery and paintings knocked off the walls (But not ruined; magically reinforced I imagine) as two women looked like they were trying to kill each other with spells being flung back and forth; heedless of our arrival.
The first stood some five foot ten and bore H-Cup sized breasts, to give a ballpark estimate. She was also curvy with a slight hint of a belly; not fat or pregnant or anything, she just lacked a flat belly. She wore a green dress with slits at both sides the tops of her breasts and massive amounts on cleavage on display with the straps going around the back of her neck, detached sleeves and all with gold trim and sandals. Her hair went past her hips with bangs that framed her face and fell down to the bottom of her breasts. A gold necklace was around her neck with a green, heart shaped pendant made of spell stone there and a gold tiara over the top of her head with a spell stone set to it's front. She held a gold colored wand in her right hand with a small, marble sized, green spell stone set to it. I applied Observe to her.
(-)
Name: Audra Doppiodrago Hyperion
Title: Sorceress of the Storm
Class: Sorceress
Level: 30
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 33
Status: Healthy, Angered, Frustrated
Romance Rating: 20
Corruption Rating: 20
Known Traits
[One Woman Man] You dedicate yourself to one man to the point others are easily ignored. -70 Romance Rating to all men you're not married to.
[Mana of the Storm] You enjoy spells related to the weather and storms. +5% Effect to any water, wind, ice or lightning spell you cast.
[I Have Boobs You Must Obey] You have very large ta-tas and everyone notices. Everyone nearby gains +25 Romance Rating towards you.
Niece of the current ruler of Jerius she attended Casta's Academy for the Magically Gifted Youth and ended up in a major rivalry with Pyralis throughout her classes. Her father would secure her a marriage to Adam Hyperion who she would quickly fall in love with.
(-)
As Audra sent a blast of concentrated ice mana I examined the other woman. She was shorter; four foot eleven maybe (Human I think; she lacked a dog's tail anyway) and bore long, almost knee length hair that was a rick auburn in color as pink eyes glared to her foe. Unlike the blonde she was flat as a board; both in breast and belly and wore a blue robe with gold trim with a brown corset around her waist and long sleeves and a pink, spell stone set in a gold ring in the center of her chest. A set of matching boots were on her feet and a matching, large wizard hat on her head with the underside being all gold save a swatch of blue. A sash of pink was wrapped about the base with a pink spell stone set into it inside a gold ring within a buckle and a golden tip. She also bore a gold and silver colored wand that had the two metals twisted about with a pink spell stone set to the end of it. And this was...?
(-)
Name: Pyralis Trident Hyperion
Title: Wizard of the Flame
Class: Wizard
Level: 30
Alignment: Neutral
Reputation: 33
Status: Healthy, Angered, Frustrated
Romance Rating: 20
Corruption Rating: 20
Known Traits
[One Woman Man] You dedicate yourself to one man to the point others are easily ignored. -70 Romance Rating to all men you're not married to.
[Ablaze With Power] Your fire magic is exceptionally powerful. +7% Effect to all fire spells.
[?]
[Itty Bitty Titty Committee Member] Your breasts might be small but even big breast lovers think you're cute. Everyone nearby gains +25 Romance Rating towards you.
Niece of the current ruler of Brell she attended Casta's Academy for the Magically Gifted Youth and ended up in a major rivalry with Audra throughout her classes. Her father would secure her a marriage to Adam Hyperion who she would quickly fall in love with.
(-)
...
So... two old, school rivals... ended up married... to the same man... Hooooooooooo boooooooooooy...
Things make a bit more sense now; don't they?
I kept a standard Arcane Shield up with both Aeris and Edda reinforcing it but the reality was we weren't the targets and just needed to block the splash damage... Oh and figure out what the fuck we're going to do about two mages trying to kill each other in the center of a fucking keep!
"What do we do about this?" I let off looking to Lulu as she looked back at me blankly.
"We have to stop the dummies from killing each other, duh!" She let off with a huff as she looked back.
"How?" I replied as our shield was rocked by a rather nasty missed Fireball that was deflected with a rather well timed wind spell. "I don't know about you but I do not want to wade into this mess." I said as she bit her lip and looked back in. With a titanium axe she was the best suited for handling this... situation. That said 'best suited' and 'able to' are two separate things.
Anything else was cut off by a loud, shrill whistle. Instantly the two women stiffened and looked as someone walked along the top balcony; a younger man who was eighteen at most. "Audra! Pyra! What in the hell do you two think you're doing!?" Any mana the girls were holding vanished as they turned to look to the man with looks of horror; well the kind of horror that can only come from a child doing something they know they shouldn't be doing but think it's funny to do anything. Like pushing the kitten back into the full bathtub over and over and over again because you think the kitten's screaming sounds funny.
Yeah, in my old world I had a young, six year old cousin who was kind of a shit. Thankfully he grew out of it... in part because his father spent nearly two hours screaming at him until he went hoarse for the next two days straight over what he did to the cat. As it turns out a Marine Drill Sergeant who is trained to terrify grown men into line is super effective against small children.
As for the young man he stood at five foot eight even and bore a short, brown hairstyle that could be best be described as the mix of an anime character and an attempt at a bird's nest. He had warm, deep blue eyes and his body bore a sort of swimmer's build and was clad in a deep red great coat with the same dragon emblem on the Hyperion shield on it in black over the heart as well as a series of brass buttons with the coat ending just over the knees. Black pants tucked into red boots with gold trim and each hand was set into black gloves. At each side of his hips was a pair of sheathed katar; dagger like blades mounted to horizontal handles allowing someone to 'punch' with the blade; these ones having a steel guard that would go over the back of the hands. "Honestly you two, we have guests arriving and the two of you are tearing the place apart like a pair of rabid animals!" He let off as he reached the stairs and started to descend down them..
"S-s-sorry Adam dear..."
"S-s-sorry Adam honey..." Audra and Pyralis let off at the same time hanging their heads.
"Both of you, here, now!" He let off as he reached the foot of the stairs; both women nervously walking over to him and quickly kneeling then bowing their heads until they were on the floor as I shared a look with Miria then Cress then Lulu. "I understand your difficulties with each other but we are going to be a family now and if you two don't want to like each other that's fine but you will learn proper behavior! Understood!?" He let off, both women flinching.
"Yes dear!"
"Yes honey!" The man finally sighed and shook his head.
"Good. Now, stay as you are..." He let off before walking past both of them towards us. He'd stop before us and smiled, although one that was a bit awkward. "I apologize for what just happened but... They are both good women... They just... Well, they butt heads a tad too often. I am Adam Hyperion, Baron of Perrious; welcome to my home."
(-)
Name: Adam Hyperion
Title: Baron of Perrious
Class: Monk
Level: 35
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 34
Status: Healthy, Annoyed, Forced Calm
Known Traits
[?]
[DISAPPOINTED!] You express your disappointment in others well and they quickly pick up how bad it is. Anyone with a Romance Rater over 100 will feel eminence guilt for upsetting you.
[Lightning Strikes] Your punches and kicks hit harder and faster with each one that lands. If a strike in a combo lands increase the next attack's speed and power by 5%; this ability cannot stack on itself.
[Of The Earth] You are attuned to the mana of the very ground under you. +5% effect to all Earth based abilities. Recover mana at a rate of +15% when your feet are on the ground. All non-elemental spells and combat arts gain +15% earth type damage
The young Baron of Perrious he ended up in the position when his father was crippled in the previous Garan incursion. He ended up receiving not one but two brides via an arranged marriage and he adores both of them but wishes both would get along. He is aware they adore them and uses this to his advantage; imposing his will upon them to end their constant bickering.
(-)
"Well at least they listen to you..." I let off with a chuckle. Indeed; he seemed to have a very 'take no shit' attitude with them... which was a good thing here. Honestly while my party was almost always female heavy there wasn't such harsh bickering which was a great thing. "I am James Noxdecus; pleasure to meet you Baron Hyperion."
"Let's drop formalities; please. Call me Adam." He said with a smile before moving to shake hands; a gesture I returned. He looked to his two wives; still prostrated on the ground and whistled once. "Come along now. Tell the maids to make tea and snacks for our guests; and no bickering." He said firmly before leading us away.
[-]
It was a bit fascinating to speak with the Hyperions as Adam sat with his wives flanking him on either side; each staying silent, glaring to each other and quick to try and refill his drink before the other. Adam would try and get both of them to enter into conversation and guided the conversation to magic, the voxluxes and so forth. As it turned out both had interesting talents in magic; Audra was a more combat focused mage as well as having a focus on supportive spells; shields and empowerment spells. Pyralis, in contrast, was more focused on enchanting and alchemy as her main means of support and combat magic to back it all up.
And yet Audra also knew quite a bit of magical history as she asked me on how I employed certain ideas from well know enchanters of the past that by Pyralis' glance was something she didn't know about; something you'd expect of someone well versed in enchanting and alchemy. By contrast Pyralis asked about how I intended to have the voxlux used in standard Eostia battle tactics and showcased a knack for combat history and strategy... while Audra looked confused despite knowledge of military tactics being something a combat focused mage should know about...
That's a bit off...
Either way once done it was the usual story; make nice until done chatting before going to my quarters and doing work on my new spell. Honestly while I tried to keep busy with things I... was running out of ideas at the moment. The chess board was done and my idea for what to do with small and weak spell stones was, surprisingly, working. The flying toy wagon was done with until I got home as I couldn't go mid scale until then. Until I got my armor and weapon from Lulu I couldn't do anything about that.
So... What should I do then? Try my hand at more spellcraft? Honestly all I've done so far is adapt spells into other spells; I haven't made anything from scratch yet. For now I dismissed that; anything big and beyond adaptation on that end would best be held off until I was home.
Figure out a new money making project? Well that was the thing I was doing with the weak spell stones... And what I had planned did work... But again, until I got home... Beyond that I wasn't sure of what to do...
Honestly I was glad I was on the tail end of this journey here; I had gained a lot of experience (Maybe more then I had before it when you considered the diminishing returns), gained new equipment in the form of a new parrying dagger, the glove shield, the barrier circlet, a new collection of spells, hybrid magic, tomes of useful knowledge, connections with various other nobility houses like the Onglaves, Adelles and Kalkan, got to know the various Shield Princesses that I didn't know already, had some adventurers good and bad... I think I'm stronger for this journey but I was honestly getting a bit homesick. Also not helping is now most of my projects were stuck in a bottleneck.
And it was then my voxlux started to ping. Pulling it out I saw Prim's face projected as I answered. "Prim; good to see you."
"James! It's been too long since we talked!" She chirped out loudly as I chuckled.
"It's been two days." I pointed out as I moved to prop the voxlux up on a box. It was true; I had called home or had my parents call me as well as had Prim, Alicia and Claudia call me once in awhile as well. That said Prim, for obvious reasons, was the one who called the most. "How is it going?" I asked as let off a groan and made an annoyed face; although in a childish way with her eyes rolling back and shoulders slumping.
"I'm in Elddale."
Well that explained a lot...
"After Insidiae went... crazier then normal Celestine sent me over to keep an eye on them and their reactions." She explained. "Supposedly I'm checking up on the audit which is going well... I mean too well. I'm not that well versed in economics but I understand when things look too... clean." She said before looking about a bit; to some it was like she was making sure she was alone but I was betting she was making sure her anti-Scry spells were in place. "There's also something else; Count Blitzhaus is getting help from two people; the first is John Manderville."
"I'm not surprised... Not surprised at all..." Honestly I knew the old fart was up there; we (By we I mean House Noxdecus) had a vested interest in keeping tabs on him anytime he ventured north of Balanar and we were aware that he had travelled through Ferra to get to Elddale; bypassing Mungale fully. Indeed; our scouts said he gave our little Barony a respectable distance as he went up to see his buddy. We also knew Cyrus wasn't with him; little shit fucked around last time he was here and paid a big price when he found out and it seemed he didn't want a second lesson in that subject.
Good for him.
"The other is... it has me a little worried though." She said, biting her lip. "I... I don't want to tell Alicia this but the other was Razon Beardsley." She let off as I blinked.
"Really? Are you sure he's helping Blitzhaus or is he just checking the books?" I let off; I wouldn't be surprised if the pair knew each other; Beardsley was the Prime Minister of Feoh and often dealt with people in the stead of the King of Feoh who was bedridden and unable to do much of anything. Additionally I could see him being told to go over and oversee the audit; while I was sure he was slimy he was, by all accounts, damn good at his job. It was fully possible that he was there for perfectly reasonable, not underhanded, not treacherous reasons...
"Nothing that would stand in the Council, but the walls whispered to me about it." She said as I frowned and nodded. Saying 'the walls whispered' or referring to 'the whispering walls' was a way of saying 'I asked the slaves' without saying 'I asked the slaves'. If you could get a level of trust with someone's slave you could hear a lot of interesting information. Honestly; it's how I knew of how undefended the pen I would liberate Riri and Lolek from was and what defences it had as well as where guards in the manor I was staying at would be to sneak around them.
As it turns out when you enslave someone, abuse them, rob them of their freedoms and make their life a living hell they're more then happy to take part in a little petty revenge.
"I wasn't aware they were on close enough terms for Arnold to ask him that." I let off as Prim nodded.
"I know... Beardsley claims he's there of his own accord but everything the walls have said say differently." She said as she sighed. "Given how House Blitzhaus is like Alicia would not approve of a friendship between the two but it does sound like they're friends to some degree."
"That's news to me..." I let off, musing for a moment. Okay; there's a Blitzhaus/Beardsley connection. What did that mean? Well if Beardsley is a traitor then I can think of three scenarios off the top of my head.
One; they're in cahoots. Possible; Arnold is someone who wants power above all else and if Beardsley and the Black Storm offered it he might bite and ally himself with whoever is behind it. It sort of depended on if he felt the risk was worth the reward. Of course I had no proof of that, obviously.
Two; Beardsley is feeling Arnold out and trying to feel out his reactions if offered a place in the Black Storm. Also possible; it was clear whoever was behind this they wanted high up people in their back pocket before they made a move; Blitzhaus was a count and soon could be a duke. That was a hell of an ally. Moreover depending on how the Storm was to come Elddale would be a good place to act as a base of operations; it was almost next door to both Ur and Feoh with a tiny, tiny, tiny and easily forgettable border with Foeh. If you wanted to launch a decapitating attack on the Seven Major Kingdoms of the Alliance then Elddale wasn't the worst place to set up shop.
Three; Blitzhaus is being used as a patsy by Beardsley. While possible I'm not sure about it; Arnold von Blitzhaus is many a thing but a fool isn't one of them; he isn't one to be played like an idiot. That said Beardsley wasn't an idiot either and his plays could be small enough to go under Arnold's nose; without knowing more I couldn't say for sure.
Either way knowing that there was a connection was good to know.
"I understand why you don't want to tell Alicia but maybe tell Celestine." I told her as she nodded. "I'm sure she'll pass it down to someone more knowledgeable about the situation."
"I was planning on doing so anyway. But... something's wrong here, I just can't put a finger on it." She let off with a huff. "Not helping that Victor still doesn't understand the word 'no'."
"Maybe try say it with a small lightning spell; that might dislodge the wax from his ears." I said as she giggled a bit.
"What about you? Any other girls you have to beat off with a stick?" She let off as I groaned out. Rather then talk about voyeuristic maids I told her of our... odd greeting at Castle Perrious. As I told the story of a spat between co-wives that tore the entrance hall of a keep apart and made it look like a war zone her face went from blinking in surprise to shocked to aghast to dumbfoundedly (That's a word now) amused as Adam took control. Once done she shook her head to regain her senses.
"Yeah..." I sighed. "That happened."
"...I hope I don't do that with my future co-wives." She said in a flat tone.
"I know you said you were fine with me marrying other women but I'm surprised you expect it..." I pointed out as she blushed.
"Ohhh... I just know of... someone who's interested..." She said in a coy manner, and much to my shock. "She just doesn't know it herself yet..."
"...And this person is...?" I let off as she giggled softly.
"It's a secret!" She let off in a playful tone as I gave her an unamused look. "He he he he..." She giggled out before blushing deeper as she spoke. "Sorry; but while I want to see what can be nudged I don't want to let it slip. You shouldn't know before she does; after all."
"You sound pretty sure of yourself." I pointed out as she nodded and patted her chest twice.
"I am." She let off with a giggle, covering her mouth for a moment as she did so. "Well; at least you shouldn't have to worry about two women throwing fireballs at each other."
I was about to answer before a flash and a bang came from my window. I stood up and leaned to look outside and... Sure enough I could hear Audra and Pyralis blasting at each other and screaming obscenities.
"Leeeeet's hope so..." I let off as I sat back down. "Keep me company until those two calm down?"
"Always."
[ - Author's Note - ]
So; Miria and Makoto got themselves some new armor, James had a bit of fun of his own and we learned the perils of having two wives who don't like each other and know magic.
Lessons were learned...
Joking aside I'm as eager as anyone to get to the climax of Act Two; even if there's still a bit more to do first. But hey; that's life, right?
Best Rad Banner's Poll is still up at strawpoll(Dot Com)/polls/GeZAOO6oXnV and if you haven't voted in it yet please do; you can also find the link via Twitter eostian so no excuses!
So; off to Jerius next followed by Brell; our last Booster stop.
So let's see what happens then, ne? Until then!
~~Eostian Scribe