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)

61. Act II-Ch XXXVI: The Squared Circle

[ - Author's Note - ]

Well, here we are. The last proper chapter in Ansur with Lulu and now we're only one Interlude away before going to Thorn and Kaguya. And as you might have guessed by the title of the chapter a ring of some sports-fight will be involved in it. So, Boxing, Wrestling or MMA; make your guess and tell me if you were right in the comments!

Additionally we're creeping up to the one million words mark. If someone told me back in the Act's first chapter we'd break that mark in this Act I'd have snickered. Well, shows what I know! Go figure...

The Best Rad's Banners is still on going so please go and vote if you haven't already; links will be at the end of the chapter. So, what do we have for this chapter?

Well we will visit the Slave Barony of Jerius, meet someone familiar with both of the Noxdecus siblings and Cress and from there...

Let's get ready to RUMMMMMMBBBBBBBLLLLLLEEEEE!

[ - Act II - Chapter XXXVI: The Squared Circle - ]

The Barony of Jerius has fallen on hard times these last few generations; a demotion to Barony from County being among them. Once upon a time they were an essential link in the Great Slave Chain of Eostia, linking their northern allies to the eastern segment of the Great Sererian Lake by connecting to Brell and it's ports as well as having use of the Engvall River. Then Brell abolished slavery and entered a limited state for five years before becoming a fully Abolitionist state.

No longer a link for such trade of flesh and with the passage of the river for such trade cut off their coffers were hit hard. In an effort to reverse these fortunes they've taken a page from House Blitzhaus' breeding and selling of Dark Elves by breeding and selling Catalan slaves. They had a limited amount of Catalan slaves, at the time, so they had to transport them over from slavers entering South Point, through Elrus, Alcanth, Bongal and Skerion before finally penning them in their own territory. In some ways the Catalan breeding program worked better then the Dark Elf one of Elddale's ruling house; Catalans go into an occasional heat and are much more eager to 'get it on', give birth in nine months and often to multiple children at once in litters of one to three. They couldn't be sold for as high a price as elves but were sold to upper class and noble slave holders as pets and were often better treated then their halfling and human counterparts.

One of the other points of note is the ruling house, House Doppiodrago is not only one of the few houses of Eostia to boast a Dragonborne lineage but boasted three dragonborne within at the start of it; the founders of the house, Patrick and Alexandria and their first child Peter. Indeed, Peter Doppiodrago is the first (And as far as my research is aware of, only) time a child of a dragonborne gave birth to another dragonborne directly. The two dragons on the banner of the house is meant to reflect the two dragonborne founders and the blade between them the house and land they forged.

After Peter no known dragonborne had been birthed to the house but, thankfully, unlike House Draken they never tried to 'thicken the dragon's blood' in their line.

~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia

[-]

Once leaving Perrious things got hilly once more although not to the same level as Skerion. Jerius was another of the slave states and one with a trade in breeding and selling Catalans which made me make sure I took Miria and Ur'Akara aside to talk to them about it; we couldn't really fuck around with freeing slaves here as much as I hated to admit it as the political backlash of doing so would cause more damage then we'd fix. There was also a debate of bypassing their capital; Dracorex City. Aside from the whole slavist thing there was another reason that was more personal; one Calder Victor Doppiodrago.

In spite of the distance between the nations Calder was schooled in Ferra; this was due to the fact that Houses Blitzhaus, Angelus, Rongera and Bludhorn all sent one or two children to study there and they all wanted their children to be on good terms with one another; Jaeger and Dulce studied there as did the spare of House Bludhorn, Alexander. And both Miria and Cress studied with them... and had various conflicts with them with Calder being one of the notable ring leaders of the lot... and last I heard Cress was his favorite target...

That said it could be seen as rude if we bypassed the place and there was another issue with doing so; where the road we were on led. To cross the Engvall River we had two choices; board a ferry further south or the Iron Links Bridge which was built over the river; specifically on a pair of tall hills on either side that allowed for land traffic over the river without blocking ship traffic under it. It was considered a major investment and was enchanted along the whole way and built with strong stone and concrete... and it was the only paved road on the east side of the bridge until it reached one crossroads; to the east just outside of Dracorex City.

In the end it was agreed we'd have to stop in and accept hospitality for a night; much to Miria and Cress' grief. I did not blame them.

There was one other thing of note I thought about; mostly to distract myself from the incoming potential conflict/shit show I was sure would come; I had called ahead to Kaguya about the Thorn end of the trip. We would arrive in Brell at the end of the Ansur trip which was in the extreme southeast of the Principality and the next place to go to was Eastport in Thorn's own southeast. Ferrosica, more central in the kingdom, was the next place after that and it made little sense to detour north to Thorn's Sunwall City to pick her up only to go back the way we came. Instead I requested she meet us in the Duchy of Dayhill to which she agreed; she even stated she needed an excuse to depart from Hol'canna regardless.

Before I was ready for it, however, we arrived in Dracorex City. Supposedly it was a major logistical link for the Imperium back in the day and was a province that included lakeside Brell as a part of it and as such had some level of importance. It still bore some importance in trade thanks to being a link from Brell and thanks to the Engvall River but when Brell abolished the slave trade within it's realm Jerius went from having a stable economy to bearing a depressing one. Not helping things was that Brell patrolled the end of the Engvall to prevent slavers from trading along their part of the river; something Jerius demanded they be allowed to do. Rather then invest in other means of creating wealth they moved to double down on what they had; to their own determent quite often.

The city was fairly grand looking and up kept well save for the very, very faded whitewashing on them. A single layer of walls at fifty feet tall rounded the whole city and deep within another set of fifty foot walls was a keep within that was seventy feet tall; Castle Jerius. As we arrived at the gates we could see the shield emblem of House Doppiodrago; it bore a thick, black outline where the top had a flat middle about a third of the overall width of it before dipping down and turning slightly up and to the sides to hard points before curving down to a point with a half circle cut out on each side a third of the way from the bottom; the whole shield was about as wide as it was tall. The left half was orange and the right green with a pair of dragons facing each other on the two sides; both trimmed in white with the left one being green with pink eyes and the right one being orange with light green eyes. Down the center and between the two was a sword outlined in black; a red, diamond shaped pommel, hexagonal shapes forming a handle to a guard that had each side curling with two points; the left side curling towards the handle and the other towards the blade. Over it was a red, hexagonal gem set into a gold setting before moving down to a golden part out of which a white blade stuck out from; with a small, four sided, red diamond set near the end of the golden section.

We rode into the city and while you could see people milling about there was a... instant sense that things weren't going well. How do I put this? It just wasn't as busy as I expected. The amount of activity was more comparable to Argon City, a much smaller city, then something that was directly on a trade route. When I mentioned this it was Edda who pipped up.

"House Trident isn't a major fan of House Doppiodrago so they've asked their merchants to bypass Dracrorex City; usually by sailing up river." She said with a huff. "And Houses Hyperion and Stonepick have had cooler relations as well; I imagine that's one reason they arranged a marriage with Hyperion; to bolster relations to a degree." I winced at that; yeah I could see how the river could be used to bypass Dracorex City in particular but also the Barony as a whole. Edda would almost instantly confirm this. "In addition many of the merchants in the region are centered around Dayhill, Ironport and Eastport and all three are staunch abolitionists. As such they all bypass the barony in full unless they have no other choice."

And there it is; I knew they were in a bit of a depression but I didn't think it would be this bad. Before I could ask further we arrived at the keep and were waved into the courtyard... and you could see maids on the grounds who bore fairly depressed expressions; clearly unhappy slaves and the bulk of them were Catalans; once I saw the collars I could confirm that they were indeed slaves. I tried not to dwell on that as we circled around a statue near the front doors of the keep; a pair of dragons that were back to back, both standing on a pedestal with their tails intertwined. Once parked we disembarked and moved to the main doors; bracing for impact.

The entrance hall was... an entrance hall. Mostly nothing special save that the left half of the floor was orange, the right half green and the images of the dragons and blade on the Doppiodrago emblem was set in the center with the pommel of the blade near the stairs. And sure enough there was a slow clap from the top of the stairs... And yes, there he was...

"Well, well, well... Noxdecus, Bijoux... and their pet..." The man let off as he started to walk down to us. Standing at six foot even he bore a rather fit looking swimmer's build and had deep green eyes and blonde hair that was tied back in a tight, mid-back length braid. Walking down he wore an open Victorian style coat with long coat tails that was orange on the right side (Left side to anyone looking head on at him) and green on the other with silver, vine-like patterns going down the chest. Under it was a deep blue vest that might have been attached to the jacket with golden buttons. The end of the sleeves were rolled back showing off a deep blue underside with gold colored trim. White pants were tucked into deep blue boots with gold trim and white gloves were on each hand. At his hip was a single long sword; one that looked like the blade on his house's emblem save a more comfortable handle with rounded segments; a mythril forged blade that bore notable enchantments that dated back to the house's founding called the Dragon's Blade. "Welcome, welcome... to your better's home."

What a charmer, eh?

(-)

Name: Calder Doppiodrago
Title: Heir of the Two Dragons Barony
Class: Knight
Level: 20
Alignment: Hostile
Reputation: 10
Status: Healthy, Cocky, Amused

Known Traits
[?]
[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.

[Aggressive Fighter] You subscribe to the idea that the best defense is a strong offense. +10% Damage to of your all attacks. +7% Damage Taken by all attacks as well.

The heir of Jerius he is considered a master swordsman and a highly capable jouster. While considered arrogant by many he is not an untested fighter; testing himself against bandits and Aberrant in combat time and again. That said his largest weakness is a tendency to over extend himself as he's far more comfortable pressing the attack then being on the defense.

(-)

"Calder... Not planning on being a gracious host I see..." I quipped as I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. While Miria and Cress had to deal with him far more then I have I'm not unfamiliar with him; according to the new memories this world gave me we came close to a fist fight on more then one occasion; usually in Cress' defense. He sneered down to me as he reached the first floor. I could hear a light hiss coming from my sister but it was low enough he wouldn't hear it. "I don't need to remind you that a level of politeness is expected from both sides, yes? Eostian unity and all." I told him with a firm tone. Indeed; that was the expectation of Eostian nobility; there was an understanding that despite our differences we were various states under one alliance that stood by each other in the event of attack; such as in the year two hundred thirty two when the the Rycall Empire attempted to invade South Point, Elrus, Armon, Xenera, Blarion, Perrious and Jerius. In spite of various personal issues all those states plus their neighbors moved to push the Empire back; Abolitionist, Slavist and Limited states acting as one.

He snorted and waved his hand dismissively. "I am acting both as polite and gracious as I need to be to a pair of fools and their pet mongr-"

"Calder Victor Doppiodrago!" Someone let off as the man stiffened with a look of mixed horror and realization as I turned to the voice and...

Oh wow...

Eostia was known for beautiful women and we had here a fine example of that moving to the top of the stairs as she moved to come down to our level. Standing some five foot and seven inches in height was a fair skinned and graceful looking woman with shoulder length, platinum blonde hair and bright, bright green eyes she had a curvy build with large breasts that were maybe G-ish-Cup in size and contained in a strapless, golden top that had a built in cape with an orange inside that were around the upper arms that showed large amounts of cleavage. A matching cloth gorget like addition was around her neck and collarbone with an orange, round pendant at the bottom of them. Flowery looking earrings hung off each ear and around her right wrist was a golden bracelet. Wide hips were hugged by a long, ankle length skirt with gold colored shoes over her feet and her nails were painted green. Ever her beauty wasn't ruined by the massive frown on her face as she glared to him. "Why are you being a little snot to our guests!?" She let off. Oh, so this was his mother then?

"A-a-a-apologies grandmother!"

...

GRANDMOTHER!?

"Ah, Beryl. It's been a few years." Edda let off before she gave me a look. I caught on quick and used Telescopic Vision as she came down; sure enough... scaled eyes.

(-)

Name: Beryl Ashford Doppiodrago
Title: The Dragon of Jerius
Class: Wizard
Level: 43
Alignment: Friendly
Reputation: 32
Status: Healthy, Annoyed, Calm

Romance Rating: 97
Corruption Rating: 13

Known Traits

[Borne of Dragon's Blood] You are a Dragonborne, (Character Name)! Gain the Dragon's Breath Ability. Increase lifespan by up to twelve times. +2 to All Stats

[Multi-Melee Master - Upgraded - Swords] Your training includes melee weapons of all kinds! All one and two handed melee weapons become secondary weapon options for you. Additionally add swords to your list of primary weapons.
[iMagic] All stats save Mnc increase your Mag by 5% of their total

[?]
[Blast & Blade] 5% of your Str is added to magical damage. Add 5% of your Mag to physical damage

Born to a house of rising merchants in a small city called Ferdern just north of the Jerius/Dayhill border she partook in a magical education but initially wanted to take over her father's business; at least until she fell in love with her now late husband Victor Doppiodrago. While she understands Jerius' traditionalist roots she doesn't fully agree with them and does her best to steer the barony towards something kinder.

(-)

Beryl noted Edda's look and looked to me; I assumed she used her own Telescopic Vision spell to look at my eyes as well and gave a coy smile. "James Noxdecus of the voxlux fame, I assume? Your reputation precedes you." She said as she walked past her now skulking grandson as she shook my hand.

"Thank you. If I hadn't heard what he said I'd have thought you were his sister." I let off with a smile as she gave a lightly blush.

"Ara, a little charmer are we? No, no, just the benefits of a dragon's blood within me." She let off with a knowing wink as Calder glowered at me. "Do forgive my grandson; he's not a horrible person but he can be bit too headstrong and inflexible. But he has time to grow and learn." She said as she giggled and let go of my hand before clapping her hands together. "Now then, let's see your things to quarters and have some lunch; shall we?" She said; clearly trying to both be a peacemaker and set an example for Calder to follow.

Given how he glared at us I'm not sure how well that example stuck.

[-]

Beryl had us seated down in a nice, warm sitting room that bore green carpets and orange curtains. Edda and Beryl would have a brief, private conversation which I presumed was in regard of my own dragonborne status but beyond that I could only guess; I didn't overhear them What was interesting was that there wasn't a window; or at least not a glass one; a segment of the wall was given a spell that allowed you to see through it making it look like plane of glass set into stone without anything to hold it in; the spell was imperfect but deliberately so to give it that glass-like look.

Calder sat across from me at the long table with Cress and Miria to either side of me with Riri and Makoto on my side of the table and Ur'Akara excusing herself. Calder tried to look composed and dignified but looked like a child trying to behave while secretly thinking they should be allowed to do what they want. "I apologize my son isn't here to greet you himself; Siegfried was required in a security conference in Rycall with representatives of a lot of southeastern Ansur and Thorn." Beryl said as she moved to sit down at the table; next to her grandson as four, collared Catalan maids fluttered about the room to provide service. As for Lulu and Edda they'd be on Beryl's side of the table by her.

"Security conference?" I let off, blinking. Still I was glad for the distraction from the, ya know, four collared slaves. "Is this about Nyaru?" I asked as she nodded.

"Indeed." Calder let off as he huffed; his previous haughtiness was contained as he explained the situation to us. "Spies within the kingdom suggests a military build up; although we're unaware of what reason they have to build up. There's also a considerable naval build up of Gavin class cogs."

"Forgive me; Gavin class?" I let off as Lulu looked to me after a sip of her tea.

"Cogs are a type of flat bottomed lake boat and the Gavin class is supposed to be a mid-sized cargo style cog popular with most merchants because it can be easily fitted with various siege weapons for ship-to-ship combat." The halfling princess explained to me and it all made sense.

"Indeed. The ship was marketed to merchants, in fact, because they could be easily armed with whatever was available to them be it catapult, mongrel, ballistae or cannon to ward off pirates." Calder said with a frown. "However nations then figured out it was a good way to build up a so called 'merchant navy' that could be quickly and easily transformed into a military navy; perhaps not an ideal one but one nonetheless."

"Apologies but I do not understand." Makoto (Still looking good in her new Armor Weave) spoke up as she lifted a hand. "Why does this 'Nyaru' wish a war?"

"Long story short; the Kingdom of Nyaru have disputes with... quite a few people." I said with a sigh. "In regards to Eostia they used to have what's now Eastport until Verlangen opted for a real estate deal where he got the land and everyone who objected died." I let off with a soft huff. "After the Seven Shield Maidens dealt with him Nyaru took their objections to Eostia after it was founded but Eastport didn't want to leave the Alliance and since then we've had, what, four conflicts with them?" Beryl nodded as I nodded back. "Needless to say they haven't given up on the notion of taking it back and Eostia never had the ability to launch a deep invasion given other possible fronts we could be attacked on. Then there's Rycall; back when the Republic was still an Empire they were allies with Nyaru and when the Emperor was overthrown by his own people they were... not happy with it and considered the new Republic illegitimate and launched two attempts at an invasion that failed."

"Worse then failed." Beryl injected, raising a finger up. "As I recall the early Republic had a weak government that was squabbling with itself and could have fractured apart; Nayru gave them something to rally against and solidified their positions." Ouch. Can you imagine? Invading a country to wipe out a fractured democratic government only to cement the government and a nationalist identity further? That was an epic fail.

I nodded and carried on. "And then there's a southern neighbor of theirs; the Theocracy of Aladon that was formed by a rebellion in the region and took a part of Nyaru that they want back. And Aladon isn't interested in giving it back as the people from that region wants nothing to do with Nyaru. So that's three enemies they have."

"In their defense they're not stupid enough to fight all three at once but Eostia, Aladon and Rycall have made arrangements to defend each other should Nyaru act." Calder said, scoffing as he snapped his fingers; all of the maids flinched and one quickly moved to get the teapot to refill his cup (And I resisted the urge to glare at him given her reaction) as he huffed. "Any attack by sea will be met with the full naval might of all three nations; as such Nyaru will need a large navy to stand a chance. Additionally Eostia and Rycall have arrangements to allow our militaries to traverse through the other's territory when moving to support the other."

"Sounds like they'd prefer to go after Aladon then." Cress let off with a huff as he sipped his own tea. "At least I haven't heard of Eostian forces being allowed to land on their territory."

"There's also the fact that Eostia isn't sure it could make such an offer to them." Beryl pointed out as another Catalan maid poured her another cup of tea; no flinching this time and clearly more at ease with the woman.

"Garan?" Miria let off as I sighed.

"Garan." I affirmed. "If Garan attacked us our forces could be redeployed from Rycall somewhat quickly and there's an understanding with the Republic about our needs but sending a force across the lake where communications and travel will both take far longer is unacceptable given the northern threat. The voxlux might take care of the communications part but not the travel part."

"Nyaru might also get big ideas of attacking our forces as they returned; sinking the transports out of spite." Calder added; a point I had no argument for. "The naval states of Eostia are building additional ships to be sure and our own river shipyards are making two more war cogs to be safe." Once more; Jerius wasn't on the lake but the Engvall river led to it and they had a vested interest in keeping river pirates in check; that they could also pitch into any combat on the lake was a nice bonus. That said I wondered how easy it would be for them to afford it.

"They're a buncha dummies if they try it though." Lulu let off with a huff. "Even without Eostia they can't match Rycall and Aladon put together."

"And even if Eostia's armies had to deal with Garan surely our navies would move to assist." Cress added as Calder huffed.

"You'd know a lot about needing assistance don't you?" The Doppiodrago heir let off as Miria and myself gave him a firm look. "You did hide behind others a lot."

"Calder..." Beryl let off in a warning tone as he went quiet but acted like nothing had been said; by him or her. One awkward silence later she looked to me and smiled once more. "Well then; would you mind telling me more of some of the events you've partaken in since leaving your home?" She asked me nicely.

I of course obliged and found I had a nice passive aggressive way to poke at Calder for his earlier comment; the story of the Ungla'pul. I did it for three reasons; one to fulfill the request of a tale to Beryl, two to showcase some Catalan culture to the room; namely the four Catalan maids within who might have known nothing of the tribes folk across the lake from where their blood hailed beyond whispers and old tales and three to mention both of Miria's and Cress' triumphs within the contest which I'm sure would be aggravating for Calder to hear about..

Beryl was instantly taken with the tale and by the reactions of the maids they were very much paying attention to what was being said. Indeed they seemed more curious about what was being said then Beryl was and Calder squirmed in his seat; as if learning to the first time that, yes indeed, the Catalans had a culture of their own (Gasp!) and it was a kaleidoscope of slight differences and unique customs and not just a bunch of barbarians who lived in caves and flung their shit at one another.

When getting to the fighting with the Kull in general and Kull'Karna in particular I made sure to focus more on Miria's and Cress' fights for two reason; the first was as much of a story my own fight with the Nym and Kull warriors was it was more of the sideshow at the time and second was I knew it would get Calder's craw to know that Miria, the so called 'mongrel', was able to match her much more experienced birth father in spite of her disadvantages in close range but also the fact that Cress took down the Nym's leader, one of the Kull and the Kull's leader mano-y-mano and broke his face into pieces.

Sure enough while Cress squirmed and acted bashful during the tale you could see Calder's jaw clench into a grimace as I got to the part where Kull'Karna found his face reshaped via punch based plastic surgery and while I didn't dwell on it for too long I made sure that everyone knew Cress walked away with bloody hands and Kull'Karna was carried back by his buddies and perished on the way back. Calder tried to maintain composure but was clearly annoyed with the tale if not outright aggravated at the idea that Cress, the short little feminine guy he used to enjoy pushing around, took on someone twice his size, barehanded and won. And he grit his teeth and finally huffed loudly and deeply.

"Well, little Cress finally learned how to throw a punch. I think you overstate the strength of this foe of his, however." Calder let off as he took a deep sip of his drink as Beryl gave him a glance.

"Say what you will the truth is they fought, Cress won, Kull'Karna died and he was punched into death by Cress." I said to him with a smile. "Celestine wasn't present for the fight but she saw Karna after it; I think she'd vouch for the outcome given the look of what was left of him."

"I've no reason to think he is lying." Beryl said as she clasped her hands together. "It is always nice to hear of a lad growing up and becoming a worthy man, if you ask me." Cress blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head as he squirmed a bit in his seat.

"I... wouldn't go that far..." Cress let off in an overly humble manner as Miria rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well then..." Calder let off as I saw him start to smirk. And not a happy, pleasant, confident smirk but a nasty and scheming one. "What say you to a... friendly match?" He let off and the very tone of his words suggested what he had in mind was anything but friendly. "I'm sure your father taught you to box, right?"

I had an idea of where this was going... Cress was catching up to everyone and was at level twenty two now and more over one of his previously hidden traits was now visible to me.

[Good Ole Fisticuffs]
You've been trained in one or more styles of unarmed combat to a high degree. Tonfas, Brass Knuckles and Gauntlets are usable as secondary weapons and you can use the skills of the Pugilist Class

Sort of explained what happened to Kull'Karna, really. "Eh? What are you talking about?" Cress let off as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Calder..." Beryl let off in a warning tone to her grandson as if it would make him think better of it. He didn't.

"We've a ring set up in training room for boxing." Calder let off. And yes; Eostia had boxing as both a sport and a martial art. I'm not fully sure of the reasons boxing came about in my old world but in this one it was originally invented as an unarmed combat style for dismounted and unarmed knights in full plate armor with the idea that kicking would be too restricted in the heavy steel plate and thus punches would need to be relied on over anything else. Then they found it was an effective combat style outside of heavy plate and it filtered down to normal soldiers, then to the militia then to the populace at large. In was, currently, the most common unarmed style of combat in Eostia as most nobility, knights and soldiers knew it.

The benefit of boxing over other fighting styles was based on how simple yet effective it was. Jabs, hooks, uppercuts and straights. Four kinds of punches used in various ways with a few variations. As a proper combat style within Eostia it also bore some grapples and low kicks and stomps aimed to the legs and feet as well as techniques to incorporate knifes, tonfas, shields and other odd objects. It wasn't as flashy as other hand to hand styles nor did it incorporate big kicks, jumping attacks or the like but compared to most it was easy to learn and boxing masters were as devastating as masters of other unarmed arts. In my old world it was called the Sweet Science.

In this one it was called the Brutal Art.

Of course there was also a sport made of it; considered niche but growing, and it's rules and regulations were not unlike back home; there were no throws, grapples, kicks or weapons of any kind and no low blows although clinches were allowed. It was just two pairs of padded gloves, two men (Or women) and a referee. Each person in the ring would be allowed a corner man (Or woman) to check his or her opponent's gloves and give them advice.

"And for what reason would I?" Cress let off; almost in a snappy tone that was at odds with his earlier bashfulness. I blinked at him for a moment; while I knew he was trying to be more reliable and able then when he was younger I was still surprised at how much spine he could show when he wanted to; or maybe it's less when he wanted to and more when he needed to.

"Calder, we're meant to be hosts here." Beryl warned as Calder flinched slightly but mostly hid it as he pressed on.

"Because I'll put a little something on the line for fun. You enjoy your little, so called 'abolition of slavery' and all of that yes?" Cress raised an eyebrow at that and even Beryl paused to look at him without attempting to steer him away from his current course. After a moment Cress nodded and Caulder's grin got a little nastier as he looked to my cousin. "I can put, say... four of these Catalans up and transfer them as Indentured Servants." Cress narrowed his eyes at him as I heard him tap his foot softly under the table. I also narrowed my eyes; sensing the other shoe was about to drop in just a moment.

"That's a hell of a bet." Cress admitted as I resisted the urge to sip my tea; I'd likely give a spit take otherwise when Calder replied. "But you're not going to pony up without asking for something to be put on the line on my end." He said tersely. Okay then... Where's the other shoe?

"Two nights with your mongrel girl." He let off. "Collared and all." There it is... And now I was the one giving him a hard glare.

"Absolu-Whoa!" Cress let off as Miria grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back and out of his chair; much to my surprise.

"Excuse us for a moment." Miria let off as I blinked. "James." She let off as she dragged Cress off to a corner as I blinked but got the hint and stood to move to join them. As soon as I arrived Miria dragged us both into a huddle; save that there was a gap where you'd expect a forth person to be. "You should do it."

"HUH!?" Both myself and Cress let off at the same time and maybe a bit too loud.

"Miria..." I hissed out, getting my voice down to a whisper. "Look, I'm glad you're showing some confidence in Cress here but this is not like the Archery Tournament; Calder isn't going to accept any taksies backsies." I pointed out as Cress nodded at what I just said.

"I mean... I want to knock his teeth out, don't get me wrong but I can't just put your body on the line like that." Cress let off firmly as she looked at her as he bit his lip. "I mean yeah, my dad taught me to box but Calder was boxing throughout school."

"Look, I'm not saying I'm a fan of this either." She said sighing and I could see some nervousness in her eyes. "And I don't want that slimy jackass to set a finger on me... But how well do you think these girls are being treated here?" She let off as all three of us looked to maids in question. All three were looking about; a glimmer of hope within them... and they all flinched as Calder looked back to them and they all immediately straightened up and stiffened. From the corner of my eye I could see Riri gripping the table's edge; I could only imagine what she was thinking as well. "Look James; you said we couldn't act to help them because of the situation... well right now we can help. I'm not denying that Cress can lose and... I'm scared of what I'll need to do if he does... But I'm willing to accept that risk for the chance to help them... They're Catalans... Like me... I have to try..."

I shared a look with Cress and like me I could tell he was thinking it over. It was true; this was a chance to help a handful of them... Sure they'd need to be indentured servants due to laws and politics for at least ten years and having indentured servants was frowned upon in Mungale... but it was still legal and just because they were indentured servants didn't mean we had to treat them that way.

Miria was right that this was a chance to free them; at least in a sense for the short term and fully in the long term. I was... reluctantly on board with it. I looked to Cress as he bit his bottom lip for a moment as Calder chuckled softly. "Hmmmmm, fine... I'll add a fifth one; just to sweeten the pot."

That did it. Cress stood up and took a moment to straighten out his jacket before sighing. "Fine. I accept."

[-]

"You sure about this?" I asked Cress. The training room was becoming a bit packed with the local guards and servants. Beryl was acting as a judge for the match and would keep the 'prizes' with her; Miria and five Catalan maids my sister and Riri choose although Beryl heavily recommended one of them to the pair. Sadly we could only pick five of them. I was picked as Cress' corner man and was helping him strap on his gloves. He'd stripped down to his pants and boots leaving him topless; much as Calder had. You could see the muscle under his skin but it was faint; as much as he tried Cress just couldn't bulk up like his father had. That said given the situation being stronger then he looked was a benefit.

"Not fully; but I can't back out now." He said, huffing a bit with a rueful smile. The gloves were different then my old world's boxing gloves; it looked more like an MMA styled glove but with padded leather in two layers over the knuckles and one over the fingers that wrapped over the tips. "I... can't run away... not anymore... Not again..."

"...Sounds like a story there..." I said as I moved to strap his second glove on. He sighed softly as he looked to his hand.

"...I was getting... pushed around more then usual one day; back in school." He said as I finished but acted like I was still working to give him time to talk. "Wasn't Calder that time but he had been the worst up until then. I got kicked around when Miria moved to bail me out and... I just kinda... I dunno... I just had a panic attack, I guess and... ran... just ran... They managed to hurt Miria until the teachers finally took note and pulled them off... after a couple of minutes..." He said sighing. "...She laid me out when I saw her later. I can't say I blame her..." He said as he took in a deep breath,

"You okay?" I asked; clearly finished as he nodded to me.

"...Yeah. I do love Miria but... Well..." He let off before taking in a breath. "But I need to prove I'm not going to crack... Not a second time anyway."

"Alright then, Buddy." I said with a chuckle. "Give him hell." He nodded as we moved to the ring together. He would move to a corner and Calder the opposite one as I stepped in and walked over to Calder as one of his knights moved to Cress. Calder would smirk hard at me and lift his fists up; unlike cress his body bore a much more defined muscle structure. He said nothing to me as I moved to grab at his hands; checking his gloves for anything odd like metal studs or the like. In addition I checked for enchantments on them; there were none.

Once done I moved back to Cress' corner and stepped outside to the edge of the ring; unlike my old world there rings had platforms at each corner you could stand on without interfering with the match; as long as you stood back. "You ready?" I asked him as the knight left to Calder's side; mimicking me as I looked to Cress.

"As I'll ever be. Any ideas on what to do?" He asked as I thought about it for a moment. I remember Calder's traits as I thought about it for a moment.

"I'm fairly sure that he can hit hard but can't take what he can dish out." I told him as I leaned in. "I'd say you shouldn't trade hits; stick and move. If there's a way to wear him out you should have an easier time but I've no idea what his stamina is like." I pointed out as he nodded.

"Yeah; I always had that impression he had a glass jaw but he isn't weak." Cress said as Lulu hopped into the ring; by hop I mean jumping from the floor, over the ropes and into the ring. Given the situation she was the most objective person that would act as the referee. Just; Lulu was the most objective person here. That was... saying something...

"Okay! Ready?" She called out as she pointed to Cress who nodded. "Ready?" She let off pointed to Calder who nodded and grinned. "Start!" Cress and Calder both moved into one another; fists up and approaching one another in the center of the ring. In my old world this wouldn't be a match would ever be allowed; Cress was five foot three and Calder six foot with maybe a fifty-odd pound or so difference between them; they were clearly in different weight classes.

That said this was a match in which Combat Arts were allowed as well as self empowerment abilities that weren't spells... so... yeah...

That said Cress was at a reach disadvantage so he was the seeming underdog here and as I had expected Calder was the one to make the first move; stepping in with a hard, right straight punch and followed it up with a left; both of which Cress swayed to avoid, eyes watching the Doppiodrago heir but catching a stiff jab that was partially blocked with his forearm. Cress must have caught something I didn't because he ducked a sudden and hard right hook I didn't notice coming before stepping in and giving him a stiff right straight into the gut. Calder's face gave a shocked look and you could hear the impact of fist on flesh as Calder backed up as Cress followed that punch with a hook of his own. Calder dropped his right elbow to block it and I couldn't help but note Cress went for a Liver Blow; I could only imagine what would have happened if it connected.

Calder grunted and threw a short, left hook which Cress leaned away from before blocking an on coming right straight before taking a left jab to the forehead, staggering him back as I winced. Cress kept his feet under him, guard still up as Calder attacked once more with a right straight. Cress' counter was an angled jab that knocked the punch aside before launching his own straight that Calder blocked with his hand... only to have the force of Cress' punch to slam the back of his hand into his chin catching him off guard before Cress threw a heavy left hook straight into the center of his chest; impacting with a heavy enough force that he stumbled back hard; he might have even hit the mat but he hit the ropes first, leaning into them for a long moment.

Calder snarled a bit as he pushed off the ropes and moved in quickly, fists up. I was honestly impressed with his next attack; a flurry of left jabs and right and left straights that was clearly a Combat Art of some sort given the speed and impact of them; Cress yelping and lifting both arms up to block as much as he could as he weaved to dodge as best he could but the pressure of the attacks was forcing him back step by step and I could see punches both glancing off Cress' forehead and shoulders and even getting a hit on his cheek (A clean one no less, ouch) as he kept up the pressure... before Cress managed to force himself to step in; clinching him. Calder smirked as he moved to dislodge Cress...

Only to be rocked by a hard right hook to the jaw that sent him staggering back. Calder's eyes winced but he manged to plant his foot and throw a left hook back into Cress' forehead with enough force to knock him off his feet; sending him back and landing on his back on the mat hard. I winced as Calder wiped the back of his lip with a hand as he smirked with the knights about the room cheering hard. There were no rounds in Eostian boxing; you just kept going until someone was knocked out or was knocked down three times.

One to zero, Calder...

"Cress!" Miria let off and you could see the Catalan maids gasp as well as my cousin moved to the ropes, using them to pull himself back to his feet.

"Don't let yourself get psyched out." I called out to Cress calmly. "Stay focused and calm."

"Or just lie down and quit!" Calder let off as he rushed in once more. "After all, you're good at it!" He let in rushing with a big hook. Cress ducked and moved away; Calder's fist going over the ropes. As he turned with another hook Cress countered with a hard uppercut into his chin. Calder let off an 'oof' and fell back into the ropes as Cress moved to hammer a left hook up into his jaw. Calder moved to block a right fist and prepared his own right...

Only for Cress' left fist to smack into his side with a Liver Blow. Calder's eyes widened as he hugged his ribs as Cress stepped back. Despite his best efforts Calder collapsed to his side and rolled to his front; knees under him.

"Yeah!" Miria let off as the knights started to call out to their lord; telling him he can't let the 'little girl' beat him like that. Calder was down long enough that Lulu started the traditional ten count but he got a foot under him by six and he stood up fully at the seven count. He glared across at Cress before snarling like an angered dog.

"You little shit..." He let off as he stalked towards Cress once more; but not rushing this time I noted.

"What? You miss the old Cress that would have run?" Cress let off with a taunting tone as Calder snarled and stepped in faking a hook before coming in with a jab, followed by two more then a straight punch; Cress would block the jabs and lean away from the right fist before countering with his own; connecting on his chin but not well. Calder snarled a bit and he started to mix jabs and straights as Cress started to back up; dodging and blocking what he could.

I bit my lip in worry as Cress kept his guard up as he waited for a moment to attack; Calder was aggressive as I had expected but much more so then I had expected. Cress was clearly being overwhelmed by it and while he was getting his licks in it was getting harder and harder to do so. Still Cress found an opening and snapped Calder's head back with a stiff jab before following with another uppercut; rocking Calder back two steps. Before he could recover fully Cress moved in; nailing three hard, fast straights into his abs before fainting a Liver Blow before going for a hook to the jaw; the last punch deflected as Calder turned his torso and blocked it with his shoulder before blasting Cress with a hard, left hook. Cress was rocked back now as Calder stepped in now with a hard right straight; Cress blocked it but the force was still enough to knock him off his feet and to the floor; back first. I winced hard from the impact.

Two to one; Calder...

Cress groaned as Miria looked on with horror and I didn't blame her. Calder took a moment to pace about, hands up to celebrate as his knights cheered him on but he was clearly panting and seemed winded; he put a lot of effort into his attack and as Cress got to his feet he shot me a serious look and nodded. I think I knew his plan as he smacked his fists together twice as he moved to approach Calder once more... only for the larger man to rush him first with a big, right hook. This time Cress stepped back and when he swung a second time Cress stepped back further until he was against the ropes. He kept his guard up as Calder, smelling blood in the water, started to swing for the fences at Cress' head and torso...

Hook after hook, straight after straight, jab after jab; Calder rained blows down onto Cress as Miria looked on in shock and horror as she set both hands over her mouth as Calder smirked wide. The Catalan maids shrieked and one even wept as I kept a more controlled and neutral look; I knew what Cress was doing. I wasn't a boxing fan but I was well aware of the tactic known as rope-a-dope. In truth while Calder was punching with full force the damage he was doing was minimal; most of the blows were hitting the arms or shoulders of Cress as opposed to his head or body; although some did get through. Lulu shot me a worried look but I gave her a quick wink as she looked back, eyes narrowing before widening. She caught on to what was happening although Calder's knights had yet to do so; they cheering for their lord to 'finish him off' and to 'take his head off'. After the first minute a chant of 'bury him' started up from them.

Cress wasn't taking much damage (Although make no mistake, he still was taking hard hits) but Calder was still expending effort to throw those punches. He was panting after knocking Cress down for the second time and I guessed my cousin had caught onto what I had; he could use Calder's aggression against him. Hell; I had done the exact same thing back in Arafe against that Garan dark elf to one hell of an effect... and Cress was repeating it here to equal if not greater effect.

After about two minutes of rapid pummeling you could see Calder start to slow down but he still kept going; too caught up in battle rage to notice. By the third minute the impacts were lessening audibly. By the forth he was slowing down and was clearly winded and you could see a moment of realization...

And then Cress moved...

The first was a shove back with both fists as Calder stumbled back. He tried to keep his guard up but it was slack and Cress' first hit was a hard hook to the jaw, followed by one to his left ribs. Following it was two straight fists to the abs which would not help him get his breath back and as his hands dropped to guard his midsection Cress nailed him with a hard, hard left hook to the cheek. As Calder stumbled back Cress pressed the advantage; jab, straight, hook, hook, uppercut, hook. Before you knew it they were at the other side of the ring; Calder was now on the ropes as Cress just let him have it, body blow followed by body blow to further wind and wound him. Worse when Calder fell to the ropes his arms fell over the top ropes and as he tried to move them up to defend he got them caught into them leaving himself unguarded and Cress was more then happy to take advantage of that fact as the knights started to cry out for their lord to fight back or at least get his guard back up.

It took a long, long moment but Calder got his arms free... and stumbled forwards as Cress cocked his right fist back and threw it as hard as he could in a big, heavy right hook which met Calder's chin nearly flush on the end of it. Calder's head snapped back from the sheer force as his body turned; his chest hitting the ropes before being rocked back off of it, bouncing from the ropes before hitting the mat hard with his head bouncing off the mat like a ball. He groaned and wheezed there, blinked in pain and confusion as Cress stepped back. My cousin was the one panting now but the question was if Calder could rise back up to his feet.

He was left laying for a long moment and Lulu moved in to start counting as the knights called out for him to get back up. By the three count he was moving but slowly and weakly. By five he rolled over to all fours and was pushing up. By the count of seven he was lifting up with his arms and legs... only for a foot to slip from under him and drop him back to the mat. By nine he was pushing back up from being flat on the mat but it wasn't enough.

When Lulu counted to ten Calder's arms gave up and he collapsed with a groan; his legs no where close to under him. He would squirm in an effort to move but wouldn't rise up as I pumped my arm.

"Yeah!" I let off as Cress panted and smiled before letting himself collapse to his knees... Only for Miria to rush over and hug him about the shoulders as Beryl moved to take a key to the collars of five Catalan maids.

"Don't worry honey! I'm sure your father will be very understanding about giving away five slaves!" Beryl told her grandson who was still left in a wheezing heap in the ring.

Said heap only groaned in reply as Cress was helped back to his feet; Miria's neck under his arm. I managed to get in and under his other arm as I started to cast a healing spell on him.

"Good work buddy..." I let off... and I didn't miss the large, proud grin he had on his face as he chuckled.

"I... I really did it..." He finally let off as we helped him out of the ring as the disappointed knights parted as we led him to a bench to sit down.

Yeah, he did.

[-]

Flashback - Ten Years Ago
Outside of Iron Road City, Barony of Mungale
Backyard of Iron Road Manor

A young Cress huffed and slumped as he dropped to a seated position under the shade of the tree. Most of the lords of Mungale and Ferra had gathered for his mother's birthday along with their children and... no one wanted to play with him. No one. Well his cousin was willing but had been pulled away to talk with Campbell Galeraven as she was the current heiress of Ferra and their parents wanted to be sure they'd be friends with each other. Maybe both of them would be willing but that was it.

The boys said he was too girly to play their games with him.

The girls thought him not boyish enough to speak with and their parents were unsure of such a girlish boy as a possible consort for their daughters.

He was pulling his knees to head as he tried not to cry. Boys don't cry. Boys don't cry. Boys don't-

And then he was poked on the cheek. "Wanna play?"

He squeaked and jumped, almost jumping away from the girl his own age; a pink haired girl with... cat ears? And a cat tail? A Catalan right?

"Ahh... Y-you're... my cousin's new sister?" He let off, sniffling softly and rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand as she nodded and beamed. She squatted beside him in a nice, pink dress as she smiled and nodded. "W-why would you play with me?" He let off, trying to fight back the tears... Only to see her smile darken a hint and a sad look come to her eyes.

"B-because... I know that no one should be alone..." She let off. He wasn't sure what she meant but there was an... honesty and maturity to the tone that made him take instant note as he wiped forming tears from his eyes and moved to stand up as she did as well.

"S-sure! I'm Cress!" he let off, smiling brightly to her as he stuck a hand out... only for the girl to take it and shake it a bit more vigorously then he expected.

"And I'm Miria! Let's be friends!"

[-]

Present

"You did good, man." I told Cress with a chuckle. After the fight myself and Miria took Cress to a bath (And in case your wondering; yes I checked for possible one way mirrors. Just in case) and I made sure he was healed up; with that done I sat on the tub's edge; feet and shins in the water. Cress himself was blushing and sitting in the tub proper with the source of the blush being the fact Miria was sitting on the edge behind him; legs on either side of him. Her hands were on his shoulders, massaging him as I enjoyed my cousin's mixture of discomfort and enjoyment.

"Honestly; you had me worried for a moment there..." Miria let off with a chuckle. "I thought I was about to have a heart attack!" She let off with a chuckle, working her hands firmer. In truth he was well massaged now but that didn't stop her from carrying on; mostly to make him squirm I think. The five Catalan slaves had been freed and at current were with Riri who, for obvious reasons, was the best suited to handling them for the moment and helping them adjust to what their new life would be. That being said... "But now that you've won we have to talk about something; what do we do with the girls?" She asked as I gave out a long sigh.

"As much as I hate to say it we haven't fully freed them." I pointed out with a huff. While I didn't know Jerius law I imagined it was like Elddlae law and that would require them to stay as indentured servants for a decade at least (I'd later check and yes, a decade) so we still 'owned' them, in a sense. "If I'm right they'll be indentured by Jerius law for a decade and if we were to break it, well, that could cause the worst kind of possible headaches, political ones." Headaches indeed; while Jerius was far enough away that we wouldn't deal with them often I imagine Doppiodrago would press Blitzhaus (Who would be pressed happily) into causing issues for us if we had to go there for, ohhh I don't know, a Garan attack...

"Well they'll either need to go to Mungale Manor or Iron Road Manor." Miria let off, finally moving her hands from Cress' shoulders and setting them behind her as she leaned back. She was about to speak up further before Cress piped up.

"Mungale Manor, I think." He said as I looked to him; he looked back to me with a sigh. "My home is full on staff and we can't really handle five more. You guys should be able to; I should transfer their contracts to James."

"Well... I think I'll have some work for them once we get home..." I let off as I thought about it. "I think once we're done in Brell I'll ask Lulu if she can send some of the Golden Axes to escort them to Mungale; that'll let them settle in faster." It also meant we wouldn't be dragging them along through Thorn and possible dangers; because we have encountered more then our fair share thus far on this road trip. Miria nodded once as she looked to me.

"Good idea; Sora did a lot to help Riri, right?" She let off as she sighed. "She should be able to help them as well."

"Right. I'll call dad later and let him know what's up." I said with a nod.

"Mind if I ask you two a question?" Cress asked as I nodded to him; as did Miria. "Should I focus more on my vocal spells?" He asked as I blinked. "I mean... I'm glad with what I do already but... I'm wondering if I'd be more useful focusing more on support songs then sniping or swordplay..." He let off as Miria blinked and then...

The world paused and went grayscale. Here we go once more...

[You are now being presented with a choice in relation to one of your comrades. Cress Bijoux is not yet ready to upgrade his class, but he is now considering his path forwards; a path that will lead him to his choice of upgraded class.]

[You now have the option to guide his choice. As a reminder this is his current status.]

Name: Cress Bijoux
Title: Sweet Boy From Iron Road
Class: Singer
Level: 22

Known Traits
[Dude Looks Like A Lady] Your appearance is very feminine. This puts women more at ease with you no matter the situation. Romance Values raise 10% faster. 15% chance for male opponents to be distracted by you or underestimate your strength.
[Exotic Attraction] You find species not your own to be more attractive then your own. -5% to all stats when fighting an attractive person of another species
[Good Ole Fisticuffs] You've been trained in one or more styles of unarmed combat to a high degree. Tonfas, Brass Knuckles and Gauntlets are usable as secondary weapons and you can use the skills of the Pugilist Class
[It's A Trap!] You are sometimes mistaken for a girl. Because of this men who would not normally be attracted to you may lust for you. -5% Stats to all male foes who are attracted to you
[Bi The Way] You are bi-sexual and are willing to play the field. Your Romantic and Corruption Values are treated as the same as if you were a female.
[Near & Far] You are an adapt of both close range and long range combat. Your Accuracy increases your melee accuracy by 20% of it's value and your Dexterity increases your ranged accuracy by 20% of it's value

Born to a minor house of nobility, son of Fredrick Bijoux and Karen Noxdecus Bijoux, he is the nephew of the current rulers of Mungale. Despite wishing to emulate his very masculine father his appearance and body structure are fairly feminine which has gotten him quite teased and bullied over the years. Coupled with a somewhat overprotective mother he has a noticeable lack of confidence despite his fathers positive, if stern, encouragement although it is growing.

(-)

[As an additional reminder this is his current class and it's information.]

(-)

[[Singer]]

Primary Weapon: Short Bows, Crossbows
Secondary Weapon: Musical Instruments, Short Swords, Knives (All Types), Quivers
Armor Type: None
Primary Stats: Dex, Acc, Mnc
Secondary Stats: Agi, Mag

The tradition of Singers came from war songs sung by some archers in combat. Singers have learned to harness magic in an unusual way; with hymns that boost the abilities of their allies. Songs boosting magical power, physical strikes or even healing allies. While weaker in a direct fight when compared to the Archer, the Singer has a place in combat.

[And these are his upgrade options. In addition you can see what Combat Arts and Traits he will gain from the upgrade in question.]

(-)

Bard Upgrade

+Long Bows to Primary Weapons
+Rapiers to Secondary Weapons
+Gambeson to Armor Types
+Con & Lck to Secondary Stats

The Bard boosts the effects of their war songs even further and can, in the heat of combat, use songs to bolster their own arrows now; turning a lone arrow into a storm of dozens. Compared to before the Bard is more self-reliant.

Combat Art Acquired - Arrow Storm: By channeling your mana into an arrow and firing it you can have it create several mana arrows that will strike an area with as much force as the original arrow.

Trait Acquired - Swashbuckler: You are capable with buckler type shields. You may carry a Buckler without taking up a Secondary Weapon slot. +1 Con & End when fighting with a Buckler

(-)

Performer Upgrade

+Rapiers to Primary Weapons
+Lck to Primary Stats

While the Bard is more focused on self-reliance and bringing more damage the Performer now adds a routine of dance to their songs; boosting their songs potency even higher. A single performer can make a group of untrained peasants into a threat when pitted against trained soldiers. However aside from somewhat better sword training the Performer is more vulnerable then the Bard.

Combat Art Acquired - Dancing Step: You move with ease, dodging and weaving your way past attacks. Boost End, Dex and Agi by 7%, increase perception by 10% and increase Lck by 12% for fifteen seconds

Trait Acquired - Battle Conductor: All songs you sing will empower your allies further. +2% to all stats of allies in range of your songs in addition to their normal effects. Additionally increase this effect to 6% if you are dancing as well.

(-)

[Once more, while you are being given this choice it's due to the trust and loyalty for you otherwise he would not be asking for your input and he would pick his path without your input on the matter.]

[Please, make your selection.]

Choose Your Companion's Path
[Choose Bard]-~-~-[Choose Performer]

Yup; there it is. It didn't take much thought for me as the world returned to normal. "I think you're better off being well rounded. After all; we're a small group at the moment so it's best if you're more self reliant."

"I mean isn't that what you're trying to be already?" Miria let off with a smile to him; patting his shoulders twice with both hands. "Besides... I kinda like the new Cress." She said as he blushed deeply and squirmed in place

Before I could say anything to add to that the door to the bath opened to our surprise, each of us jumping slightly and looking to the door to see... Beryl walking in; nude as the rest of us. She hummed softly as she walked to the side of the room and started to wash up; while most baths I'd been in had a place to sit and scrub before entering the tub this one had a proper, standing shower in which she would wash herself. Mostly with her plush, heart shaped backside facing us but she would turn to show off her large, glorious breasts capped with soft, rosy colored nipples.

Myself and Cress were semi-stiff before now having shared a bath with Miria but Beryl's nude frame brought us to full mast as she moved into the tub across from us and sat down. "You're a sweet piece of ass." Cress looked up over his head and my own turned as we both faced Miria. "Well..." She let off, blushing under our gazes. "I'm not wrong am I?" For her part Beryl let off a long giggle as she smiled back to us.

"Ara, I'm more then a sweet piece of ass." She let off with a grin as she lifted a hand up and extended a finger. "I'm also a fine pair of tits." She let off with a long giggle. "Regardless; I came in here for a reason other then to give you something nice to look at; I wanted to thank you." The three of us gave each other a series of odd looks before looking back at her. She smiled wider before she explained. "Calder is... he is well meaning deep down under the bluster, but his father raised him to be self assured, self reliable and confident... but he let himself become arrogant and he trends to see... less value in others; his rivals in particular. While the bruises to his body are healed perhaps the bruises to his ego will linger and remind him to have some humility."

"Well time will tell if it sticks." I said as she smiled wider and giggled.

"And there is another reason I came..." She let off as I blinked. "It's been awhile since I had some fun... and here I can have two strapping lads and a lovely lass all to myself..."

Yup... Eostia will Eostia.

Beryl would stand and walk over to Miria and Cress, leaning over him with legs spread and leaning towards her before giving her a soft kiss. Miria's tail shot up slightly before she kissed back, the pair of women moaning gently... only for Beryl to moan louder for a moment and giggle as I noticed Cress had lowered down between her legs and attached his mouth to her sex.

Soon Beryl broke the kiss and guided my sister's head down to her breast and pressed her lips to a nipple before she gave me a glance. I took the hint and moved over and soon shared a brief kiss with her lips before taking my own nipple from her; suckling on it firmly as she groaned over us. Miria's gasp matched mine when Beryl took hold of my cock so I imagined her sex was being fingered as she started to stroke me off at the same time as we both cupped her heavy humps with our hands, massaging them softly. This was... going to be an interesting bit of fun, I'd say.

Cress would finally slide from between her legs and stood up behind her as she giggled and softly pushed Miria back with a hand, moving herself to lower her lips to my sister's pussy, bending at the hips to do so. She kept stroking at me softly and Cress, with her sex open and vulnerable before him, took the chance to press himself to her pussy and slammed into her; making her moan deeply into Miria's sex who shivered and mewled softly in response.

Given how much pussy I'd been getting I was content to wait my turn as I groaned lowly as my sister moved her feet under her and planted them, rocking herself to Beryl's mouth softly as Cress held her hips firmly and plowed into her hard and fast. Beryl mewled herself as she moved her hands up my sister's side, the hand on my cock leaving, before gripping her breasts and squeezed down with her hands softly before shaking her lips side to side. It was a very enticing sight.

Miria would be the first to cum as she cried out and shivered, Beryl moving her lips off her sex and leaning up to kiss her lips full, breast mashing to breast as she rocked her hips back as best as she could. She and Cress would be rewarded soon after; Beryl would break the kiss to moan deeply as her own body quivered as Cress came and came hard with his own cry; shunting a sizable load up into her waiting sex.

"Ooooooh, that was good..." Beryl purred as she smiled as Cress pulled free of her as she moved to stand and walk to me. "Now, let's reward the patient lad..." She moved to kneel down and kissed the tip of my cock before slipping her lips over it... only for her to squeak as Miria moved to kneel next to her; bringing her own lips down to my shaft, suckling on the side of the base.

After a moment Beryl would surrender my cock from her lips as Miria moved to claim it; sucking the tip in as Beryl moved to my balls and sucking them in. Miria grinned around it as she looked up at me before squeaking with her eyes widening; Cress had recovered and snuck up behind her before pressing into her sex with his cock and pushed in fully before starting to rock into her. Beryl giggled and nudged Miria who moved off my cock and used her hands on the tub's edge to move aside as Cress rutted her as the blonde moved over my lap. She giggled a bit as she set her sex over my cock as I held her hips and once in place started to lower herself with a groan.

"Mmmm, I was hoping to talk to you in private but I suppose that can wait." She let off as I groaned. I had an idea of what that topic was but yes, it could wait. I started to use my arms to help her as she bounced on my cock; large breasts mashed into my chest as she moved to kiss me deeply.

"I'll look, mmmm, forwards to it..." I replied, giving her ass a firm smack as she shivered and moved to grind her hips down into me as she squealed. She and Miria would pant, groan and moan and both myself and Cress would groan, grunt and pant as two sets of lovers did the mating dance... but then I saw Miria lean back so her back was to Cress' chest and whispered something into his ear. He stiffed and looked to Beryl before my sister nodded and he pulled free of him. I didn't know what Miria had planned as she climbed out of the tub as Cress moved behind Beryl before he pulled her down hard to my lap with hands at her hips. She gasped and looked back and then blushed. I less saw and more felt what happened as her insides shifted and tightened a bit as I realized Cress was pressing up into her ass with his cock and Miria gently set a hand to my shoulders and guided me back so she could step over me, feet on either side as she stood over my and guided Beryl's lips to her sex.

Indeed; she was now in the center of a proper gang bang with myself now thrusting up, Cress thrusting behind her and Miria rocking into her mouth. Beryl didn't seem to mind being the center of all this attention as she shivered and mewled on my cock as well as Cress' as she slobbered and sucked on Miria's clit; all four of us groaning out as we worked; rocking, humping and rutting into each other.

As much pleasure and enjoyment came from these things, however, it had to end sometime... And Cress was the first to go, followed by myself as we both shot good, thick loads up into her lower holes. Miria would follow, crying out and squirting softly as she shivered over the blonde who came last, squealing in her own right. After a long moment Cress and Miria would pull away and disengage before Beryl lifted herself off of me and sat next to me. "Ahhhh... Thank you all... I needed that..."

[Fucked List]

Miria Noxdecus=75xp
Beryl Doppoidrago=100xp x 5 First Time Bonus=500xp
Gang Bang Bonus=100xp x 1 Male=100xp
+20% Dark Horse of Eostia Bonus
Gain 810xp Total

Achievement Unlocked: Your (Grand)Mother!
Banged a Rival's Grandmother.

[-]

After the bath (And a brief post-sex rinse) we had dinner with a much more subdued Calder. He still shot glares across the table but minded his manners a lot more and didn't verbally snipe at anyone. Honestly I was just glad for a peaceful meal. That myself, Cress and Miria all had a bit of a 'we fucked your grandma' high going on helped as well.

Post dinner I retired to me room and worked on my new weapon spell adaption as I waited for Beryl to arrive. Half an hour I was setting things aside as I stood once a knock sounded on the door. "Enter." I called out and sure enough, back in her normal outfit, Beryl walked in with a basket under one arm.

"Ahhh... Finally..." She let off before turning to me and waving a hand; I sensed she casted a spell to ensure privacy as she walked closer to me. "It's rare for me to meet another dragonborne and it's rather annoying we couldn't speak on the subject when we first met."

"Well at least you didn't blurt that fact out on first meeting me." I let off as she stopped to blink before covering her mouth.

"Ohhhh, dear..." She let off, giggling hard for a moment. "Edda always tries to act wise beyond her years but just can't help but be a little bit childish now and then, can she?" She moved over to the bed and moved to sit down with a sigh, setting the basket next to her.

"Honestly; I didn't expect to meet another dragonborne so soon after Edda." I said as I turned the desk chair about and sat down as well.

"Indeed; we are a rare breed, are we not? Well; in a way you've met three now." She said as I blinked at her. "You know how I recommended one of the Catalan slaves for freedom? Well, servitude, I guess." She said as I nodded. "Her name is Alexia and she's also a dragonborne; although I'm aware she doesn't know it and I made sure to have the fact hidden for her own sake. I had hoped to find a way to help the poor dear before, but..."

"Huh... I wouldn't have guessed..." I said as I frowned in thought. "If you don't mind me asking; why did you marry into Doppiodrago; or at least why do you stay with them? You don't seem to agree with the slavery."

"You are correct; I do not..." She said with a deep sigh. "As for why I married in I honestly did love Victor and while the slavery was an issue I won't deny I felt I could change things for the better... And to a degree I did; at the very least things aren't as bad for the slaves as they were before... and while I doubt Calder will accept the idea of abolishment anytime soon perhaps his son will or one of his siblings if they come into power." She said as she shut her eyes for a long moment before opening them and rather then a sad look it was a bright, honest one. "I could leave, yes, but for all their faults they are family. And I would rather stay and work on guiding them to something better as opposed to abandoning them and watching them possibly backslide."

"That is... very honorable of you..." I replied, blinking as she smiled back. "I don't think I could do that if the shoe was on the other foot." I admitted. Honestly to stay here and work on trying to turn a slavist state around by herself via sheer force of will and kindness in such a manner was a kind of strength I couldn't imagine...

"It is hard but now and then I have my little victories." Beryl said, smiling sweetly. "But Alexia was important to rescue; as a dragonborne she'll have a long, long life... and it shouldn't be lived in chains, if at all possible." She said as she moved to cross her legs. "I myself will be a century of age come next year; I couldn't imagine such a life."

"And you don't look a day over twenty three." I replied as she giggled. "I can't promise much for them beyond the best we can do. With luck we can give them a chance to make something of themselves."

"So do I... so do I..." She said as she stood and turned to reach into the basket, pulling out a pair of glasses and a bottle of red wine. She moved to the desk and set the glasses down before moving to fill them. "So... tell me of Mungale. I'd like to know about where they'll be living from now on."

"Sure..."

Work would be forgotten as we shared drinks, tales and stories as we talked late into the night. There was no more sex; just good company and good conversation.

[-]

Located on the southeast point of Ansur and the most southern territory of Eostia on the east side of the Great Sererian Lake the County of Brell is one of the Four Blue States which also consisted of Dayhill, Eastport and Ironport of Thorn. Of the four Brell has the second smallest military navy (With Ironport being the smallest) but boasts the highest amount of pirates that call Brell a safe harbor. Of course it will only harbor pirates who fight rivals and foes of Eostia such as Nyaru and Balanar but it is notable and, in times of need, these pirates can be hired as a mercenary navy to further bolster their fighting force. In addition some of their navy is always patrolling the Engvall River for slavers and smugglers seeking to peddle flesh and other contraband.

Currently under the command of House Trident the county boasts some mineral wealth in their northern border; the center north in particular reaching down close to the center of the county. More importantly, however, is what is just off shore of their beaches; the Spell Sands which boasts a rich deposit of spell stones. Quarrying them underwater in large quantities has proven difficult but enterprising individuals have found the means to acquire stones on their own. Rather then ban the practice or claim all quarried spell stone as property of the county House Trident simply set a small tax for the right to mine Spell Sands which has given them a notable source of income with no real investment; be it in coin or stones.

As a lakeside state trade is a major source of wealth and much of the industry is centered around the creation of goods to export; rum, whiskey and berry infused vodkas are a popular item to trade to other kingdoms. In addition there is a thriving textile industry of silks as well as cloth already prepared for being made into mage or arcane robes. Interestingly much of their silks do not travel across the lake but north into Ironport where it's brought deeper into Thorn for the use in fashioning eastern styled clothing.

Talk of becoming a duchy has been bandied about but as of yet House Trident hasn't applied to such a rise.

~Dominic James Pencraft, The Eostia Historia

[-]

On route to Brell when we made camp for a night I asked Riri, Miria and Cress to help me address the five Catalans we picked up in Jerius. I made a very deep, sincere apology that we couldn't fully free them from their binds for some years because of the laws around indentured servitude but I made several vows to them; we would treat them with dignity and respect, we would pay them for their work so that when they were fully free they would have the funds to support themselves and chose their own life from there on and if they were willing we would train them in some form of combat art or magical style so that once freed they could defend themselves.

None of these women were born on the Savannah and instead were born in pens, raised by fellow slaves to be slaves but were still told tales of the tribes south of the lake by them; tales passed from the first generation of slaves to the next and the next and so on. The ideas of freedom and independence were... difficult for them to fully understand. That said we would have a decade to prepare them and educate them on all they'd need to know; I assured them we would do what we could to help them.

I made a point of telling them of Riri's background and how she would be one of the people in charge of ensuring they got the help they needed and that we had another person back home who would be sure to assist as well. Lulu had agreed to have them escorted to Mungale and even charged Finlay and Edda both with the task along with seven members of the Golden Axes; I was assured they'd make the trip safely.

When they asked why they weren't going to be staying under Cress' watch I told them the truth; that his house couldn't staff them currently but made a point to state they would not be forbidden from seeing him and that if they wanted to go to Iron Road on their own time it was both fine and permitted. Additionally I assured them that if his house could take on five new maids they'd be transferred over if they wished it. That they'd rather stay with him was understandable; he was the one who fought to free them so some attachment was natural. They were further assured when he said he'd come and visit them.

After that talk I had Alexia pulled aside and asked Edda to come with us. She was... well, they were all level one maids. The only difference Observe told me about Alexia was that she bore the Borne of Dragon's Blood trait on top of the one visible and one unseen trait they all had. In case your wondering the trait of hers I could see was called 'Chameleon Mana'; a trait that increased her damage and resistance to an elemental type each time she casted a spell of that type by two percent each time that element is used up to ten; although also gaining a one percent debuff to that element's opposite up to five. If I was right she had the knack to be a mage based on that alone.

(I would perform a test later. I had her cup her hands and then set mine under hers and channeled magic through hers to gather it in her hands. The effect would piggyback her mana to mine, dragging some of hers into the spell. Then I told her to start trying to manipulate the mana mentally into various shapes. While she couldn't really make it hold a shape that was normal for someone doing it for the first time; she managed to make the mana shift about and for brief moments be in various, simple shapes. It was a basic test but enough to say she could manipulate mana and likely could be a mage of some sort.)

Alexia herself stood some five foot five and bore short, silver hair with flat bangs cut close to her eyes, purple/pink eyes that if you looked close enough bore the scaled pattern of the dragonborne. Her ears were silver on the outside but a bright pink on the inside. She no longer wore a maid outfit; we got her a red, cotton tunic to wear for the time being. That said while it would normally have fallen past her ass her rather large, H-Cups prevented it and showcased the dark blue short shorts she also had on over her curvy hips.

It was then I started to, gently, explain her dragonborne lineage to her with a promise to train her own Dragon's Breath when she was ready and presuming willing. She looked dumbfounded as I explained it all but nodded and accepted it. The five of them felt to me like they were still comprehending what was happening to them and a bit overwhelmed. Indeed; she'd later admit she had never left Jerius before.

She was in for a real shock when she got to Mungale I'd think.

Speaking of which I made sure to call my father over the voxlux and, with some luck, got Sora into the call and explained what had happened (Leaving out the detail of what Cress had to bet... and that Miria was the one that pressed him to do it) and what to expect. He was surprised, doubly so as I told them one of the lot was both dragonborne and bore at least some magical talent. He promised they'd be taken care of upon arrival; noting that one of the maids had to take marital leave due to becoming pregnant so a need for a replacement was required... although five replacements was a bit much he assured me we could manage them for the short term at least.

Sora also vowed to help them out and ensure they would be both cared for and promised to over see their education personally and mentioned that my mother would likely help with it as well. I had expected as much but it was still good to hear.

At current however we rode off to New Attalax City. What happened to the old one?

Verlangen happened...

New Attalax City was built on the original city's foundations and the remains of the torn down, Imperium walls were built upon with new, sixty foot ones along with a moat that was reconnected to the Attalax Short River which branched off from the Engvall River and allowed the capital near the center of the County a port that was well protected by naval attack. Indeed; a dock district was built outside of the walls but within the moat with what was more or less a small sized lake on the side of the docks. As we rode over the drawbridge you could see the banner of the local lords over the gate.

The shield banner was a kite style shield with a rounded top and pointed, sharper, but still rounded bottom with a thick, gray outline. Inside and dominating most of the banner was the head of a dark red trident with the outer prongs having barbs on the inside and the middle one having barbs on both sides. It was surrounded with a thick, gray outline with with spikes coming off the bottom; as if it was rocketing upwards. On either side of the middle prong's point was pairs of dark red fishing hooks crossed over one another outlined in gray. The emblem of House Trident, fittingly named.

We rode into the city and while other parts of Ansur were a mixture of Victorian and Imperium styled buildings this city was a kaleidoscope of styles. Victorian and Imperium were there but so was classical medieval European, colonial era American styled ones, Japanese buildings, and an odd... twisted conical style that looked like an upside down ice cream cone with a ramp on the outside and at least two doors on it. As for the Adventurer's Guild's building it was... ummmm, a ship. No, I am not joking. A beached ship, specifically a cog, with a door set into the side with a short ramp built into it. I asked the receptionist within it when we arrived; the ship was a well known military one from the Nyaru Wars that was eventually pulled apart, moved into the city, rebuilt and repurposed as the Guild's building.

And of course after saying hi I installed the booster up on the top of the mast above the crow's nest. Which meant...

[(⸜∕ ) Place Booster in Brell]

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

And four stats closer to where I need them to be. I love to see it. And so it was off to Brell Castle within the city next to rest for the day... And soon we would leave for Dayhill...

Thorn and Kaguya awaits us...

[ - Author's Note - ]

So there we are, two more dragonbornes met, Cress got another KO on someone and more freed slaves! Well, mostly freed slaves...

Oh and a dragonborne granny got herself gangbanged.

For the record; Beryl wasn't originally planned to be a dragonborne but when I made her image in Holara with the 'curvy woman', 'platinum hair' and 'green eyes' tags along with a few others I loved the result I got with her and noted her eyes had an odd but nice shimmer in the image and went 'fuck it'. Indeed; when I was planning her out she was meant to be Calder's mother but I adapted once I made the choice.

That said she and Alexia will be the last dragonborne introduced for quite awhile I think; I don't want them to become too common. I have no plans to introduce any more in Act Two nor in Act Three.

I had also planned for that little Cress flashback at some point and while I plan to flesh him out some more that'll be in Act Three. We'll see how it goes then.

So with Ansur's closing out we'll have one more Interlude before going into Thorn and meeting back up with Kaguya. I'm sure more then a few of you are eager to see her and see what I have planned for her. Since I think it'll be asked; meeting her in Dayhill first wasn't planned originally but given the locations Brell in relation to Thorn it made more sense then anything else; at least to me.

So for the Interlude what do I have planned? A chat between James and Lulu should be on the table, meeting another canon villain is on the table, a peek in on other characters and their plans and preparing for not just James' tour of Thorn but also the inevitable clash that will close out Act Two.

Until then let me know what you liked or disliked in the comments! I do read all of them and respond to most of them. Once more the Best Banners of Rad Poll is on Straw Poll still and accessible on Twitter via eostian or you can go directly there via strawpoll(Dot Com)/polls/GeZAOO6oXnV and make your choice! Results will be posted in the Interlude chapter! After this one there's only Ansur's and Thorn's poll left, after all!

Until next time, do take care!

~~Eostian Scribe